


Gravity Pulls Me Towards You

by MilkTeaMiku



Series: Gravity [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe, Angst, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pokemon - Freeform, Polyamory, Polydins, Soulmates, Wingfic, Wings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-19
Updated: 2018-03-03
Packaged: 2018-08-16 01:17:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 100
Words: 90,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8081044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MilkTeaMiku/pseuds/MilkTeaMiku
Summary: How many ways can I show you I love you? -Small ficlets and prompt fills for various pairings and polyships.





	1. Hunk/Lance - Snowfall

“Lance, seriously, wait up!” Hunk cried, huffing. Cold air bit at his cheeks, and no matter how high he pulled his scarf up over his nose it kept slipping back down. He had never been particularly fond of the snow, or of cold weather in general, and that day was no difficult. “Put a goddamn beanie on already!”

A boisterous echo of laughter replied to him from across the yard. Lance was always laughing like that; light-heartedly, and freely, like he didn’t have a single care in the world. Sometimes, Hunk didn’t think he had, and it made himself feel better. If he could see Lance happy, the same Lance who struggled with homesickness and tiredness and stress in the way he himself did, then maybe he could laugh just as freely one day, too.

“Come on, Hunk!” Lance cheered as he bent down to scoop up a big handful of snow into his bare palms. “Live a little! This cold is exhilarating!”

Ever since they were little, Lance had loved the snow. At first Hunk had thought it was because he liked the colour blue, and that it was well suited to him. Lance had always looked good in blue, and anyone with eyes would say the same thing. He was a cool kind of guy, and although they were both much better suited to warmer weather, Lance seemed to come alive with a cold flush in his cheeks and snowflakes in his hair. It was like Lance’s energy doubled when snow fell from the sky, and it was hypnotising to watch.

But then again, Hunk thought that everything Lance did was hypnotising. The way he walked, the way he talked… How he would sing when he cooked, just quietly to himself, and how carefully he cleaned dust away from photo frames containing important pictures… And how gently he would hold Hunk’s hand, too, even when others were around to see.

There was no one more beautiful than Lance.

But a Lance without frostbite would be preferred to one with frostbite, Hunk thought, so when he was distracted by making a snowball, Hunk quickly shoved the beanie on his head. “At least wear this,” he said, before pulling his scarf to rest it around Lance’s shoulders. “And this. You know you get sick when you don’t.”

Lance pouted at him, and stood. With one hand, he fixed the beanie atop his head. “What about you?”

“I’ll be fine.”

He would be cold, but fine; Lance didn’t need to know that.

Lance gave him a critical look, considering him for a moment, before simply letting it go. He always trusted Hunk like that, no matter what it was that Hunk was saying. Sometimes, Lance trusted Hunk more than Hunk trusted himself. “Here!” Lance said, shoving the snowball into Hunk’s gloved hands. “You can have this one.”

Hunk didn’t want to particularly play around in the snow, but for Lance he would. The things he would do for Lance were almost unlimited, it seemed, but he didn’t particularly mind. He knew Lance would do anything for him, too. Seeing Lance smile and enjoy himself as fervently as he did was worth having cold snow shoved down the back of his thick jacket.

And, in the end, he knew he’d get a reward for his efforts – Lance’s affection. They’d shed their snow-damp clothes and wear something warm, something of Hunk’s for the both of them, and maybe Hunk would make hot chocolate while Lance dug around in the cupboard for marshmallows and chocolate bars, singing upbeat Spanish lullabies all the while. With their hot chocolates in hand, the bigger mug for Lance, they’d sit on the couch and Hunk would let Lance choose a movie (always, _always_ some cheesy action film) and he knew Lance would make himself right at home in Hunk’s lap. He’d be able to fit his arms around Lance’s tiny waist and rest his chin on Lance’s surprisingly broad shoulder and let his eyes drift shut, content.

If all it took to get that was a little snow down his back, then he’d take it. Besides, doing anything with Lance was bound to be fun – even snowball fights.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll probably update this pretty regularly. Getting my wisdom teeth out tomorrow, so I couldn't post for one of my other fics :') Hopefully I can at least post something small like this!


	2. Hunk/Keith/Lance/Shiro - Instinct

Lance knew being an omega would set him aside from his fellow Paladins. 

For what it was worth, Pidge didn’t particularly count. They were a beta, and a beta uninterested in sex and all things dynamic-related, at that. Sure, Pidge didn’t mind cuddling with him, especially when Lance was being particularly insistent and whiny, but there was no interest in a mateship there. If there had been interest, Lance would have probably gone for it, but as it was, he thought that their current relationship – a pack bond, he supposed – was more than enough for the both of them.

It was the others he was more concerned about. Hunk, Keith and Shiro were all alphas, and they practically reeked of unmated hormones all day, every day. Lance knew it wasn’t their fault, and that he was probably smelling the exact same, but none of them had suppressants and none of them knew how to handle it. They had a weird thing going on, something that was like a pack, but more – Lance couldn’t name it.

He could handle Hunk. He’d been around Hunk for years in the Garrison, and knew his scent and his limits like the back of his hand. Hunk was a comfort to him, someone he could turn to with whatever he needed. He trusted Hunk the most out of all of them, probably.

Keith and Shiro were… different. Shiro was a comfort, too, but not in the same way as Hunk. He was strong, and confident. He was their leader, the one they followed, even if it was never said aloud. He was the one who looked after Lance’s health when Lance sort of forgot to, and he kept the peace between them. Shiro wasn’t opposed to cuddling with Lance, either, which was always nice. Those muscles and Shiro’s heady scent made him feel really safe.

In a way, Lance thought that Keith was probably the most different. For a while, Lance thought he didn’t have a role in their pack. Pidge was the neutral party, Hunk was the comforter, and Shiro was the leader. What more could an omega like Lance need? Of course, he’d soon realised his way of thinking was wrong. Packs didn’t centre around omegas, and he shouldn’t let his hormones send his thoughts in that direction, either. Keith belonged in their pack just as much as anyone, and if it took Lance a little longer to see why that was true, then so be it.

Predictably, Keith’s role had become evident soon after Lance changed his way of thinking. It was hard to explain, but Keith was like his equal – his opposite. Where Lance was too cold, Keith was hot. When Lance got too worked up, Keith worked him down (sure, it was by arguing with him, but it worked). Their arguing was less for arguing’s sake and more as a means of communication. Their pack wouldn’t be complete without Keith, and although Lance had taken a while to warm up to him, he wouldn’t have it any other way now.

That’s why, when he started nesting, he wasn’t too surprised that he stole Keith’s jacket first. Omegas always went through a nesting phase before a heat, and as much as he hated to think he would have to go through one without suppressants, he knew it was inevitable. He just didn’t tell anyone. Altean soaps did a remarkable job of hiding the bulk of his scent, and he kept himself on a short leash when he was around the others. The only time he couldn’t control his instincts was when it came to the nesting part of being an omega.

Omegas liked soft things, and Lance was no exception to that. He craved soft things covered in the scents of his pack mates, and when he’d seen Keith’s jacket thrown over a back of a chair, he’d just… taken it. The jacket was his now. He wouldn’t let anyone take it from him.

With the jacket in hand, he’d realised he really had started nesting, and that meant he’d actually have to find a place to nest. He didn’t know the castle too well, but recently everyone had started sleeping in Shiro’s room, or Hunk’s, or even sometimes Keith’s. The sleeping places of alphas were saturated in their scents, and that made resting easier, even for the other alphas.

Although he didn’t particularly want to, Lance decided to make his nest in his own room. He wanted somewhere more private, somewhere the others were less likely to search, but for now it would have to do. That was where he stashed Keith’s jacket before venturing back out into the castle for more.

He found spare bedsheets, first. There were now four extra quilts and six extra pillows piled onto his bed, fresh out of a closet near the entrance to the bedroom corridor. No one would notice them gone, he was sure. After that, he raided the laundry room. All of it was done automatically by the castle – magic, Lance insisted, though Coran was adamant it was technology ( _alien technology,_ Lance insisted). It was in the laundry room that he found a whole stack of good things.

The first thing he pilfered were a pair of Pidge’s shorts. They didn’t smell bad or anything, but they had Pidge’s scent, and he wanted them. He found two of Hunk’s shirts, a single fingerless glove belonging to Keith and one of Shiro’s battle suits before he was done in the laundry. While he felt guilty for stealing their clothes, the enjoyment he got from having them was enough to make him continue.

He was proud of his finds, and spent hours at night rearranging everything. He added his own clothing for good measure before simply enjoying it all, content to laze around in his cosy little nest.

Heats were tricky things, but so were the nesting periods that came before them. Even though Lance trusted his pack mates, his nest was _his,_ and his alone. It was why he wasn’t fond of the idea of building it in his room, even though he already had. If anyone found his nest before he was ready for them to find it, then he wouldn’t feel safe enough to have his heat there. He’d have to dismantle it, find another suitable place, and rebuild it all before his heat came.

That was why he got a bit antsy when the others started to notice their things going missing. He had a sneaking suspicion that Pidge and Shiro, at least, had noticed straight away. They just hadn’t said anything. Keith, on the other hand, was a damn blabbermouth.

“Has anyone seen my jacket?” He asked one morning. “I’m missing a glove, too.”

“Nope, haven’t seen it,” Lance said, turning his head away. “Losing things now, Keith? You must be turning into an old man.”

“What the hell, Lance-”

“No arguing at the dining table,” Shiro reminded them firmly.

“Not my fault Keith is losing things,” Lance muttered, irritated. He wasn’t usually so quick to anger, but he couldn’t let Keith into his nest.

“You seem oddly suspicious,” Keith snapped. “Are you stealing my things, Lance?”

“That’s enough!” Shiro growled, standing. Keith gave him an affronted look, surprised. Shiro wasn’t usually so quick to intervene, either.

“I’m not stealing anything,” Lance snapped. He stood too, and pushed away from the table. “Why are you such a jerk all the time?”

“What the hell, Lance?” Keith said, frowning. He looked even more confused than before, and it only made Lance more irritated. “I just asked about my clothes, that’s all.”

Lance growled, and stalked away. He could feel eyes on his back, and it made him hunch up defensively. He needed to defend his nest, and so that was where he went. If anyone followed him, then he’d know for sure that he needed to move it.

Being in his nest helped cool him down. His heat must have been fast approaching if he was getting this antsy over such small things, and in hindsight, he’d probably only made it worse for himself. Regardless, he shucked off most of his clothes, and let himself luxuriate in his nest. Keith’s jacket was by his head, and he’d stolen a pillow from Hunk’s room at some point so he had that, too. With a shirt from Shiro and a book from Pidge that surprisingly carried a lot of their scent, he was content.

During that night, he woke up to the sound of his door sliding open. Still half asleep, he let out a quiet noise, and was comforted by the deep rumble he received in answer. Maybe now would be an alright time to let an alpha in his nest, then.

“You should have told me you were nesting,” Keith murmured. He came to kneel beside Lance’s bed, his eyes curiously gazing over the assortment of things Lance had collected. “Shiro had to explain it to me. I’m sorry I didn’t know.”

Lance was far too distracted by the scent of his alpha to care that Keith was apologising to him. Instead he simply purred, happy to have Keith’s attention. It had been a while since they’d all been together – Lance had completely avoided them while he built his nest. He felt a bit better about it now that the nest was finished.

“Move over a little, I’m coming in,” Keith said. He pushed Lance over until he could fit in the bed too, and raised his eyebrows at all the clothes Lance had stolen. “Ah, there’s my jacket.”

Lance’s fingers tightened around it.

Keith only shook his head. “You can have it,” he said. “Shiro told me it was important to you, so I’m not going to take it. I guess this means you’re really going into heat?”

“Eventually,” Lance mumbled. “I don’t want to.”

“Why?”

“It’ll just make this awkward,” he said. “I mean, I already stole all your clothes. The heat will be worse.”

Keith shrugged. “I- if you want me to spend it with you- or Shiro, or Hunk- I can- it’ll be fine,” he eventually said. “Whatever you want.”

“Really?” Lance asked, voice quiet and surprised. He hadn’t expected Keith of all people to offer that. Had the others discussed it when he wasn’t around? It didn’t seem unlikely.

“If you want,” Keith said again. “It’s up to you, but we don’t need to decide yet.”

For once, Keith was completely right, so Lance didn’t argue. Instead, he just let himself enjoy the time he had with Keith in his nest. Eventually, not long after he and Keith had lapsed into a comfortable silence, Shiro and Hunk arrived. Lance was more than comfortable enough to let them into his nest, so they somehow managed to squeeze in. He ended up sprawled across Hunk’s chest, with Shiro’s hand on his hand and Keith’s arm around his waist. Even though these were the pack members he’d potentially spend a heat with, he wasn’t too miffed when Pidge snuck in too, though Pidge wouldn’t stay if his heat did happen to arrive.

Maybe it wouldn’t make things worse if he spent it with his alphas, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully I can continue working on my chaptered fics tomorrow~


	3. Keith/Lance - Jacket

Keith has never particularly had an interest in clothing or fashion before. He wore what was comfortable and what was practical – anything in his closet, or in the closet of someone he was living with, was fair game so long as it fit him. He didn’t do washing all that much so he tended to wear the same things often, but it wasn’t like he couldn’t look after himself, either. He just didn’t really have that much of an eye for fashion.

Come to think of it, he didn’t think any of the Paladins did. As much as Lance liked to proudly exclaim that he was some sort of beauty guru, being in space meant that they couldn’t stop at the nearest shopping centre to brush up on the latest fashion trends. As much as they might have liked to, it was just wasn’t feasible. They wore the clothes they took to space, and any clothes they were given as Paladins by Allura and Coran. It kind of sucked, sometimes, but they just didn’t have anything else. They made do with the minimal closest they had, even though it was quite… well, _minimal._

Especially when Keith couldn’t be bothered to do his washing. Sure, most of it was an automated process done automatically by the castle, but there was some degree of human interaction needed – like putting his dirty clothes in the laundry tube-thing, for example. And sometimes, he was just bad at stuff like that. He could get just as tired as any of them, even if he didn’t like to act like it.

That’s why he wasn’t quite as adverse to stealing clothes as he otherwise might have been. In any other situation, he might have felt guilty. And alright, so maybe he only took Lance’s clothes, but he swore that was just because their sizes were the closest. Totally wasn’t because he liked Lance or anything. And even if he _did,_ Lance definitely didn’t like him back. Lance just thought they were rivals, or something.

But he really did have a nice jacket. It was long on Keith, and the sleeves slipped down over the tops of his palms. When he stood, it fell down to his thighs, and when he sat, it pooled against the creases in between his legs and waist. It was comfortable, and it smelt like Lance, which wasn’t as bad a small as one might imagine considering how much they all sweat during training. 

Of course, that meant when he wrapped his arms around himself tightly, it was almost like Lance was the one holding him.

But obviously, he didn’t like him.


	4. Lance/Shiro - Hold

Lance knew that Shiro didn’t like his arm. It was because of the prosthetic – that much was easy to tell – but he thought that Shiro’s dislike for it ran deeper than that. To Shiro, it probably represented all the things he hated; failure, his inability to protect himself and others, the Galra. Sure, having a Galra tech arm was better than having no arm, but sometimes Lance thought that Shiro didn’t think that.

For what it was worth, Lance liked Shiro’s arm. To him, it was just like any other arm, only it was better because it was attached to Shiro. It could have been blue and covered in rainbow stickers for all he cared, and he would have liked it just as much. Maybe more, even, because rainbows were pretty cool and he loved the colour blue. 

Getting Shiro to love it was the difficult part. Lance started his get-Shiro-to-love-his-arm mission rather sneakily; by holding Shiro’s hand. Anyone who knew Lance knew that he was a pretty affectionate guy, and holding hands had to be one of his favourite things to do, aside from cuddling. He’d stand on Shiro’s right side purposefully, and hold his hand with a big smile on his face. Shiro’s metal fingers were cold, but they warmed pretty quickly. And because Shiro knew how much Lance loved to hold his hand, he couldn’t complain.

Getting Shiro to cuddle with his arm involved was a bit more challenging. Lance would curl into his right side and Shiro would leave his arm against the back of the couch. Other times Lance would try and reach for his hand, but Shiro would give him his left one instead. Eventually, Lance abandoned his sneaky plans and simply hugged Shiro’s arm, tight enough that Shiro couldn’t simply pull away.

The times Shiro really hated his arm were when they were intimate. He didn’t like Lance paying any attention to it, and always caressed and stroked Lance with his flesh hand. Sure, he’d grip Lance by the hips with both hands, but Lance could always tell he put more effort into his left.

It was after one of their nights together that Lance finally made Shiro face the facts; he was in love with Shiro, and that meant _all_ of him. He was laying on Shiro’s chest, with Shiro’s flesh hand settled on the small of his back. He really wanted both of them to envelope him.

“Why won’t you hug me with both hands?” He murmured quietly, peering at Shiro.

“Lance…” Shiro started, sighing.

Lance glanced down. He hated it when Shiro used that tone, because it meant Shiro didn’t want to argue. Lance didn’t either, but he just couldn’t help it. How could he make Shiro love every part of himself? “You know I love you, right?”

“Yes,” Shiro said frowning.

“Every part of you.”

“Lance, I know.”

“Do you love me?”

“Of course I do!” Shiro exclaimed. He held Lance a little tighter. “You know I love you. You make me incredibly happy, Lance.”

“I give you every part of myself because I love you,” Lance murmured, “so why don’t you give me every part of yourself?”

Shiro’s eyes widened a little. He looked at Lance searchingly, then glanced away. “I just hate it,” he said quietly. “It’s everything I don’t want to be.”

“It’s a part of you,” Lance said. He reached over and took Shiro’s metal arm by the wrist before depositing it around him. “And I love it just as much as the rest of you. This hand protects us, guides us, and even with it you’re still _you._ It doesn’t change you, Shiro, but you can change it.”

“Do you really think that?” Shiro asked.

Lance nodded.

Shiro let out a deep sigh, and nodded. “Okay,” he said. He rested his metal hand on Lance’s back, just tentatively at first, before using his arm to hug Lance as tightly as he did with the other. “Okay, I’ll try.”

Lance grinned, nuzzling against Shiro’s chest. He took that as a win; it was a start, and that was more than he could have asked for.


	5. Hunk/Lance - Attention

Lance lived for summer. He loved the heat of the sun during the day and the cooling taste of drinks laden with ice and how everything was more colourful. There was nothing more he loved than wearing shorts and going to the beach and sharing ice blocks with his friends. He thrived in the heat.

The cold, not so much.

He hated winter just about as much as he loved summer, which was really saying something. He always got sick during the colder months, always ended up snotty-nosed and sneezing, and it was generally quite unpleasant. Sure, he could enjoy an oversized sweater and a mug of hot chocolate just as much as anyone, but they were fleeting pleasures. Nothing could beat the warm glow of a hot summer’s morning and the taste of firecracker smoke on the air at summertime beach bonfires.

There was one other perk to winters, he supposed – his gorgeous boyfriend was way more willing to cuddle up with him. Most people didn’t really enjoy being hot and sweaty while cuddling, even if Lance didn’t care. Still, when it was cold, Hunk was definitely the warmest and softest place to curl up and nap by, which Lance did often.

Hunk was pretty much a portable heater. He was a big guy, and big guys usually generated a lot of heat, but Lance thought Hunk’s warmth was different, that it was somehow better. There was no one nicer or kinder on the planet than Hunk, he was sure. He’d been friends with Hunk for as long as he could remember, even had baby pictures of them together, and he didn’t know when their relationship had changed, but he was glad it had.

It was on one particularly cold evening that Lance sought out Hunk. He found Hunk sitting on the couch reading, wrapped in jumpers and a thick quilt. “Hunk, let me in,” he whined as he inched closer, pulling on the quilt with insistent hands.

“Lance,” Hunk just sighed. He didn’t put up much of a fight, knowing how the cold made Lance miserable, and lifted the blanket. “I still want to finish this chapter.”

Lance only grinned, and squirmed into Hunk’s space. Like he had expected, Hunk was incredibly warm in all the right places, and only huffed when Lance fidgeted to make himself comfortable. He ended up in Hunk’s lap, which is where he wanted to be, with his legs curled up and his face stuffed into the crook of Hunk’s neck. When Hunk lowered the blanket, Lance was completely wrapped up, all nice and warm and pressed against Hunk in every way possible.

“You seem rather satisfied with yourself,” Hunk said, amused, as he lifted his book once more. “You’re such a touchy person.”

Lance hummed, and nuzzled under Hunk’s chin. There was nothing more satisfying than being with Hunk, especially not when they sat like this. Everyone who knew Lance knew that he loved attention, and attention from Hunk was the best. 

It was no surprise, then, that he quickly fell asleep like that, comforted by the weight of Hunk’s arms around him and the steady rise and fall of his chest.


	6. Keith/Lance/Shiro - Lucky

Lance had never really considered himself to be lucky. He wasn't unlucky either, for that matter, but the idea that he had some sort of advantage over anyone else just had never come to him. He struggled with difficult things and he got through challenges easily enough and sometimes he was just neutral towards everything. He thought he was pretty average when it came to luck, actually, which was okay with him. 

Lately, however, he would consider himself to be very lucky indeed. 

He'd always known he was attracted to more than just one gender. More than one secondary gender too, which wasn't exactly normal among omegas. Most people expected him to go for alpha males or perhaps beta females, but Lance didn't really care about all that. He kind of just flirted with... well, everyone, really. He had no shame when it came to that. 

But that wasn't the reason he had started to consider himself quite lucky lately. No, he was lucky because he'd found some pretty damn good mates. 

Being with Shiro, first and foremost, was easy. He was the epitome of perfect alpha male - polite, protective, and easy to get along with. He knew what Lance needed before even Lance knew, and was always willing to give him anything he wanted. Their personalities matched well, and their physical relationship was just about perfect. No one had ever treated Lance the way Shiro treated him, and it was absolutely wonderful. 

It had been a bit of surprise that Lance mated with Keith, as well. Considering their rivalry, not many people expected them to get along. Hell, they hadn't for a really long time, but it was different now. Their bickering slowly melted from vindictive to humorous and any animosity between them turned to sexual tension that both were willing to relieve. 

Lance supposed the thing that was surprising was that Keith wasn't an alpha. His fiery nature and stoic expression seemed like pure alpha traits, but Lance knew better than anyone that Keith was actually an omega. Underneath all their shells and facades, the two of them were surprisingly similar. They both wanted protection and attention and affection, and they were both affected by the same basic instincts that, as omegas, they'd bonded over. Really, Shiro probably had a hard time keeping up with them, especially when their cycles synced. 

Being with an omega was a comfortable thing, Lance thought. He didn't see why other omegas didn't give it a shot. He could understand Keith's urges better than Shiro's, and he could read Keith better, especially when it came to instincts. It was the same for Keith, regarding Lance. There was just something about their bond that Lance completely revelled in. 

It helped that their cycles had, in fact, synced up. They nested at the same time and usually went into heat within a day of each other, which was fantastic. It meant that when Lance was too weak to build a nest, Keith could fill in. And if Keith was too tired to do it, then Lance would. They never cooperated more than they did when it came to nest building. 

Plus, cuddling with an omega had to be the best thing in the world. It had taken Keith some time to warm up to Lance, especially with the amount of affection Lance demanded, but that had long since been resolved. 

Now he could crawl in their nest and sniff out wherever Keith's was hiding and press against him with no complaints. He could rearrange Keith to his liking and take off his clothes if he wanted and spend hours scenting him. He could have Keith curled up in his arms, purring like a machine, or he could worm his way into Keith's embrace and do all the purring himself. Sometimes, they both purred, they both got affectionate - they'd rub their heads and cheeks and squirm against each other for hours as a heavy mixture of pleased omega pheromones saturated the room. It always made Shiro rumble in pleasure when he returned to them, which in return only made Lance and Keith ramp it up even more. 

All in all, he'd definitely considered himself lucky now.


	7. Keith/Lance - Hair

Lance liked to brush Keith’s hair, when Keith eventually let him. As much as he thought it was a stupid hairstyle, Keith somehow managed to keep his dark locks nice and smooth, and for the most part, they were usually tangle-free. When he sparred he sometimes tied it up to keep it out of the way, or he’d used a hairband to push back his fringe from his eyes. It was a ridiculously attractive look, though Lance would never tell him that.

Brushing it had become one of Lance’s favourite pastimes. He was used to taking care of his physical appearance religiously, and had somehow managed to convince Hunk to let him polish his nails along the way, but getting Keith to had been a challenge. In the end he’d recruited Pidge, who had also become a willing victim of Lance’s hair brushing, to get Keith to agree to it.

For what it was worth, he didn’t think Keith regretted it. He’d sit between Lance’s knees and hand him the brush and just relax. It was one of the few times that Lance saw him completely vulnerable, and that made some part of him really happy. Keith very rarely let his guard down, and to think he finally trusted Lance enough to be like that around him was incredibly flattering.

Lance enjoyed it, too. He had a specific brush for Keith’s hair, and hair ties that he only used for Keith. He’d pull the brush through Keith’s locks until they were smooth enough for him to drag his fingers through, which he would eventually begin to do when Keith was relaxed enough. He liked sitting so close with Keith, liked feeling as though they were bonding over something other than Voltron-related things. When Lance was feeling particularly playful, he’d tell Keith that hair brushing was a bonding moment and that Lance was cradling Keith in his arms, which always amused him greatly. 

But it really was a bonding thing between them. They’d usually go to sleep afterwards, and Keith would more often than not end up staying in Lance’s bed. Even if Lance didn’t really like Keith’s awful hairstyle, he absolutely loved to brush it, loved getting Keith to unwind. 

He didn’t think there was anything more relaxing than that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had planned to update Moonset Deep tonight, but I was far too exhausted ^^"


	8. Keith/Lance - Baubel

They had a tree. 

It wasn't very big, and it was made from plastic, but it was theirs. They'd bought it with their own money, and spent the entire evening putting it together and gathering their decorations (also bought with their own money).

Lance was quite happy with their purchases. While he and Keith didn't have that much money and their apartment was kinda small, it felt like some sort of achievement to celebrate Christmas with a brand new tree. They had new decorations, too; glittery baubles in blue and red and a sparkling star to set atop the tree, just like out of the movies. 

But he was happiest about Keith’s enjoyment of it. He'd seen his boyfriend be happy dozens and dozens of times, but this was a new type of happiness. They'd had Christmases together of course, but they hadn't ever been able to afford anything new, and now that they could they'd taken advantage of it. 

Keith loved the festivities. He might not have wanted to admit it, but he did. Lance could see it in his eyes, in the way they warmed and sparkled. He loved his ugly Christmas sweater and it's matching mug and the way they'd gotten their names on specially made baubles. They sat hanging together on the tree – Lance’s red with his name scrawled in blue, and the other way around for Keith, because those were their colours. 

Lance loved nothing more than seeing his Keith be so happy over a plastic tree and strings of tinsel. 

It was ridiculous how happy Lance became when Keith wore those little secret smiles, the ones that he thought Lance couldn't see. 

He loved Keith, cheap Christmas or not, and that’s all that mattered.


	9. Keith/Lance/Shiro - Wings

It was a surprise that Shiro could sing. Lance had known the man for ages, and since they’d all mated – him, Shiro, and Keith – he though he knew everything about him. But his mates had the habit of surprising him when he least expected it, and he supposed that this was no different.

When one shared a bed with another, their sleeping habits became very clear. Lance didn’t often have nightmares. No, he usually slept pretty well, and pretty frequently. He liked to pull a mask down over his eyes, sometimes wear headphones, anything to drown out his thoughts enough for a quick descent into sleep. Even if he was a restless sleeper, his wings flickering and fluffing up as dreamy thoughts passed through his head, his mates didn’t seem to mind much.

Keith had trouble sleeping, though. When they’d first started up their relationship, he’d hesitated before joining their bed. Lance had thought that perhaps he didn’t like sharing, or wasn’t comfortable with taking that step yet, but eventually he’d realised it was because Keith was wary about disturbing his or Shiro’s rest. 

Sometimes, Keith was jostled awake by nightmares. He never made much noise, but he’d tense, his dark-feathered wings quivering, and then he’d jerk upright. Most of the time he woke Lance up, but lately he’d become better at hiding it. Still, Lance had becoming accustomed to Keith’s weight and warmth in the bed. He liked having Keith’s wing draped over him, and Keith’s arm heavy over his waist. Lance was a very touchy-feely person, so the affection he got from Keith while sleeping was very important to him. 

That’s why he always woke up when Keith left the bed, even if not the moment Keith woke up. He did the same for Shiro, of course – when either of his mates left, something in him just demanded he wake up, to see if they were alright. Shiro was better at working through his nightmares, at easing his breathing. He’d taken to curling his ridiculously huge wings over both of his smaller mates to calm himself, and he’d kiss Lance’s forehead a dozen times before they’d both fall asleep again. 

Keith was less willing to indulge himself in comfort. He’d remove himself from the bed and wait until he was too exhausted to stay awake before coming back, and it worried Lance beyond belief. He knew that Keith didn’t like him fretting, but he did. Shiro always made sure Lance didn’t over-comfort Keith, always held him back, but Lance could tell Shiro was worried too. This was their precious mate, after all. Keith was equally important to both of them, just as they were to each other.

It was one late evening that Shiro’s little secret was revealed. For once, Keith had gone to bed first. He hadn’t slept well the night before and had tried to hide it, looking guilty and tired. Lance had followed him after an hour, feeling unease curl inside his stomach. He’d nestled in beside Keith and covered his mate in his wing, his concern deepening when Keith’s tense expression and stiff shoulders didn’t ease with Lance beside him.

He’d been sleepily running his hand down Keith’s back when Shiro came in after locking up the house. He didn’t seem to realise that Lance was awake, and perhaps mistook the worried look on Lance’s face as something else, like something was troubling him in his sleep. Shiro had started humming, just to himself, as he changed his clothes. 

Lance watched him through barely-open eyes. He was drowsy himself, but knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep unless Keith was okay. Keith was always protecting him, always shielding Lance with his wings, cradling him close when he was upset. He wanted to do the same for his mate.

Shiro’s singing helped. Lance’s worry abated as Shiro’s deep, pleasing voice washed over him, and he couldn’t help but nuzzle into Keith’s hair, feeling at ease. Shiro would take care of them. He always did. And when his humming turned to quiet singing, something that was a mix of Japanese and English, Lance felt Keith start to relax, too.

“I didn’t know you could sing,” Lance whispered, when the furrow in Keith’s brow finally disappeared.

Shiro startled. “I didn’t know you were awake.” His ears were pink.

Lance smiled, dazed and sleepy. “I like it,” he said. He pointedly nuzzled Keith’s hair again. “Keith does too. Your voice is beautiful. Won’t you sing for us more often?”

Shiro smiled, embarrassed but flattered. He leaned over the bed to press a lingering kiss to Keith’s forehead, and then one to Lance’s lips, before turning off the lamp and slipping beneath the covers himself. “If that’s what you want,” he said.

“It is,” Lance promised.

Shiro hummed again, assenting. He pulling the covers over their legs but draped his wing over the rest of them. They didn’t often need sheets anymore, not with three pairs of wings in the bed. The numb wing bones or displaced feathers were well worth the warm comfort of having such intimate sleeping positions. Lance was overjoyed when Keith first slipped his inky black feathers over Lance’s tawny brown ones, when Shiro covered them both in his mottled black-and-white feathers so carefully it was almost as if he were afraid the weight of them would be too much. It never was. 

In the end, Lance was glad that they’d formed their own little flock. He was ridiculously delighted by it, actually. He hadn’t always gotten along with Keith and he used to be intimated by Shiro, but it wasn’t like that anymore. No one had ever made him feel more special, more loved. He could only hope he made his mates feel just as appreciated.

“Try and get some rest,” Shiro said, as he pressed a kiss to the back of Lance’s head. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Lance said. 

It was easy to sleep with his mates by his side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick idea I wanted to get out of my system. I didn't think this was enough for a separate post of it's own, so I thought I'd post it here instead ^^


	10. Lance/Shiro - Routine

Shiro was late, again.

Lance didn’t want to feel dismayed, but he was. He couldn’t blame Shiro for being busy with his job, and refused to let himself feel resentful about something like that, but he missed his boyfriend. He’d grown used sharing dinner and bickering about what television show to watch and other, less-innocent pastimes they got up to when the mood struck.

Eating alone was a far cry from the pleasurable evenings he’d become used to.

But he knew that Shiro missed their time together just as much as he did. They’d been in a relationship for a little over three years now, and had lived together for about six months. Lance had been eager to move in with him even before that, but they’d barely been able to afford food, much less rent. Now that they both had stable jobs and decent incomes, they’d gotten a nice place and a cat and were living happily together.

Even if Shiro had been running late at work a lot.

Lance’s phone buzzing was the first indication that this night was going to be one of those nights, again. He usually cooked dinner, not because Shiro was a terrible cook (he was decent, and quickly learning) but because he always got home first. In return, Shiro would wash the dishes. It was a good, easy routine.

“Hey, Shiro,” Lance said, as he answered his phone, holding it to his ear with his shoulder. He was making pasta that night, and it currently required attention from both of his hands.

“Hey, Lance,” Shiro sighed, “I’m going to be late again. I’m so sorry.”

Lance was always stung by a faint sense of disappointment when he realised Shiro wouldn’t be home at the usual time. He would have to set Shiro’s food aside, probably keep it warm in the oven, and eat alone. “It’s alright,” he said, however, because he understood the pressures of work. He didn’t want Shiro feeling guilty about it, like Lance knew he already did. “Full day?”

Shiro sighed again, sounding ragged and exhausted even through the phone. “You can say that,” he murmured. “I really just want to be home.”

“Well, message me when you’re leaving, and I’ll have a shower running for you by the time you get here,” Lance said. “Then you can eat faster.”

“You’re too good to me, Lance,” Shiro said. It sounded like he was smiling to himself. “Are you cooking, now?”

“Yeah. Pasta. Is that okay?”

“It sounds perfect. How was your day, anyway? Not too bad, I hope?”

“No,” Lance said, chuckling. “It was a pretty easy day, actually.”

There was a muffled voice on the other end of the line, and Shiro made a resigned noise. “One second,” he said to the person speaking, “I’m just talking to my boyfriend.”

Something warmed in Lance when Shiro called him that. He’d pined after Shiro for years during high school and college, and sometimes he found it hard to believe that Shiro was even interested in him at all. But he’d gotten past those insecurities, and now he enjoyed thinking about them, together. Boyfriends. It had a really nice ring to it.

“I have to go, Lance,” Shiro said, when he returned to the phone. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright, really,” Lance assured him. “Go get your job done super quick and come home, okay? I’ll wait up for you.”

“I love you, Lance,” Shiro told him. “I really, really do. And I’m going to make this up to you. I hate being away from you longer than I have to be.”

Lance smiled. “I love you too, Shiro.”

He could deal with eating alone when he knew Shiro missed him as much as he missed Shiro. And besides, sometimes it was worth it when Shiro would arrive home and sweep him up in huge hugs, eager to do nothing but shower Lance’s cheeks and forehead and lips in sweet little kisses.


	11. Keith/Lance/Shiro - Nesting

Lance watched his mates anxiously fuss about the room. It was clear they were reluctant to leave, but they weren’t allowed to enter his nest, yet. As an omega, he was very in tune with his instincts, and nesting was a big one for him. The moment he’d felt his heat creeping up on him, he’d locked himself away in their shared bedroom to build his nest.

As far as nesting went, he was a pretty typical omega. Perhaps a bit over the top, actually. He had two alpha mates, both of whom were rather tall, so he had to make his nest big enough to accommodate them comfortably. Their bed was the perfect spot, not only because it was large and soft, but because it already smelt like them, and was close to the perfect place to find nest materials (the closet).

Of course, stealing the room for himself always caused his mates some problems. Alphas weren’t allowed anywhere near his nest until he was verging on his heat, and even then they weren’t allowed in it. After the first heat he’d shared with them, he’d apologised for days for stealing the bedroom and making them sleep on the couches. He snapped at them anytime they came too close to his nest, and knowing that an omega could get particularly feral when close to heat, they’d left him alone. The only time they’d been allowed in was when he was in heat, and to be honest, after they he didn’t really let them leave.

Still, he’d felt stupidly guilty for letting his instincts control him like that, but there was little he could do it.

But his mates hadn’t minded. Shiro had sat him down and gently reminded him that instincts were instincts, and he’d said he was proud that Lance considered their bed a safe enough place to nest. Not all omegas nested, even years in to their relationships. It was a safe, innocent thing, a place where an omega could ride out the vulnerability of their heat in comfort. It was a place where they could let their body prepare for what was to come. Lance was more than content to nest with his mates and they dealt with it well enough, so he’d slowly let his insecurities and guilt go.

He generally only nested for a couple days, two or three at the most. His heat always came on quick once it had started.

Now, there were times when he allowed the alphas to enter the room, even before he was ready for them. Omegas didn’t generally let alphas anywhere near their nests until they were completely ready, and often dismantled the nest if its location was compromised. But Lance trusted his alphas, and was endlessly impressed by their leniency for his instincts and the impact said instincts had on their comfort levels. He knew firsthand that the couches were awful to sleep on.

So sometimes he let them in. Never into the bed, because that’s where his nest was, and if they dared touch anything in the nest he’d snarl at them. But into the room was okay. If they needed to get clothes or if Shiro had left his reading glasses in his bedside drawer or if one needed to use the en suite bathroom, they were free to come in. The first time they had done so had been extremely amusing. They’d clearly expected Lance to snap at them, to be upset and dismantle his nest or ban them from his heat, but he’d just watched them, rugged up in his favourite quilt, spread out like a lazy cat on the bed.

He was like that now, too. Lazy and surrounded by soft fabrics – the blankets on their bed, several of Keith’s shirts (all black, all the same) as well as his favourite red jacket, one of Shiro’s workout shirts and both sets of his pyjamas (leaving him nothing but sweatpants to sleep in, which really wasn’t a problem to Lance). 

Once they’d learned that Lance would allow them into the room, they’d sometimes make up excuses to come in. Lance didn’t mind much, because he trusted them not to touch his nest or try to disturb him. He’d asked once why they came in so often, and Shiro had admitted it was mostly because Lance _let_ them.

“We’ve always been taught not to disturb a nesting omega,” he’d said, as he’d rubbed the back of his neck, “and you trust us enough to let us in the same room as your nest, so close… it’s a strange feeling. I like watching you when you’re resting… that’s weird, isn’t it?”

Lance didn’t find it weird at all. In fact, he found it oddly flattering. Now, when he was nesting, and he woke up to both his alphas in the room, he just felt content. Sometimes he’d grin at them, slow and smug, happy to let them come in and check on him (because he knew they worried, and being locked out made them worry more). Sometimes he’d purr and Keith would look like he wanted nothing more to jump in the nest with Lance, but he never did. He had a thing for Lance’s purring but not even that could get him to disturb the nest. He and Shiro were the best alphas.

And his instincts proved just how much he loved them.


	12. Keith/Lance/Shiro - Pamper

Lance loved it when his mates pampered him.

As far as mates went, he thought he certainly had the best pair out there. It had taken them a while to fully settle into a mateship, especially considering his and Keith’s combative attitudes. Still, they’d managed to make it work with a lot of affectionate bickering, and the eventual addition of Shiro added a sense of stability that they’d both sorely needed in their lives.

Now that they’d been mated for a while, Lance was free to enjoy the little things that his mates did for him. Like when they stretched behind his ears, or stroked his hair until he fell asleep. Sometimes Keith did this thing where he’d wrap his tail around Lance’s waist without realising, as if he didn’t want Lance to move away, and Lance found it stupidly adorable. He’d noticed that Shiro liked it when Lance curled up in his lap, so Lance had started doing that more often. Shiro always seemed very pleased to have his hands full with his mates.

Sometimes, though, Lance liked to spoil them, too.

On the very rare occasion that Shiro overslept, or slept in, Lance liked to wake him up slowly. He’d send Keith into the kitchen to make breakfast (a task usually left to Shiro, who typically woke first) and sit by Shiro, gently running his fingers through Shiro’s hair or the soft fur of his ears. Shiro probably had the prettiest pair of cat-appendages that Lance had ever seen on a man. His tail was thick, but not overbearingly so, and his fur was dark and sleek. He was so handsome it was almost painful.

Shiro would wake up slowly on those days. He always seemed somewhat guilty about sleeping in and neglecting his household duties, but there was nothing wrong with someone else taking over for him. Besides, Shiro deserved a little lie in every now and then. He worked so hard and always pampered Lance, so Lance wanted to return the favour. And Shiro really did like having his hair played with. It always made him blink drowsily, a faint flush to his cheeks.

If possible, being sleepy made him even more attractive. It was entirely unfair.

Pampering Keith took a little more effort. Sure, he liked to have his hair and his ears played with, but there were other ways to draw bigger responses from Keith. He wasn’t good with Lance’s outright flirting, so sometimes it took something a little more subtle or teasing to get his attention.

One of Lance’s favourite things to do was curl the tip of his tail under Keith’s chin. Sometimes, when Keith was hunched over his work or stressing himself out, Lance would wander past, and trail the tip of his tail under Keith’s chin like a beckoning finger. He’d throw in a cheeky wink or a sultry look or a sway of his hips and without fail, Keith would be enraptured. He’d follow Lance to bed and let Lance do whatever he wanted – sometimes a massage, sometimes he’d brush Keith’s hair, sometimes something a little raunchier. Anything to get Keith feeling relaxed and loved.

It was hard to choose what he loved more, being pampered or pampering. In the end, he decided he loved both equally, just like how he loved both of his mates. There was nothing in the world he loved more than being with them.


	13. Hunk/Lance - Sleepover

Nightmares were strange, unpleasant things.

And well, it wasn’t like Lance went to sleep with the intention of having them. If he were being honest, the dreams taunting him at night lately weren’t even that bad. He couldn’t remember what exactly they were, and he knew deep down he’d had much, much worse before. To be fair, it could be a lot worse, so for now he was counting himself lucky.

Still, the strange dreams did leave him a little uncomfortable. He’d jerk awake at night, tangled in his sheets, and no amount of soothing aids could get him to drift off again. For the most part, he could both manage and hide it without any difficulties. He never slept in the presence of the others and although the dreams were bad, they never left him with vivid impressions in the conscious world. He was fine.

Until Hunk noticed.

As a group, they decided a team sleepover was necessary. The Alteans had never had one, which was a nightmare in itself. A night of Earthen festivities and sweet foods had let to a sleepy pile of Paladins and two Alteans slumped together in a circle of blankets and pillows and couches. At one point, a pillow fort had been put up, but it was taken down in favour of using the blankets as extra padding on the floor.

Hunk was next to Lance, mostly because they were best friends, and Lance always felt better sleeping around Hunk. They had shared a dorm room for quite a while, after all. It was Hunk who woke him up when he started to fidget and whimper.

“You alright, Lance?” Hunk whispered, concern furrowing his brow. He tended to look concerned a lot of the time, but Lance had long since learned how to differentiate Hunk’s expressions. This one was sleepy and worried.

“I’m fine,” Lance said. He was breathless, still half-stuck in the hazy fog of sleep. “Just a nightmare.”

Thankfully, Hunk didn’t push the issue. He wouldn’t forget about it, Lance knew that for sure, but he had a scarily accurate knack for knowing when to get Lance talking and when to let something go for the moment. This was certainly a time for the latter, and instead of asking Lance about it, he simply put his arm around Lance’s waist, and settled back to sleep.

“Wake me if you need anything,” Hunk murmured, and then he was asleep again, blowing soft breaths into Lance’s sleep-tousled hair.

Lance couldn’t help but smile to himself. The weight of Hunk’s arm around him was comforting, as was the soft heat his body produced. Lance had missed this, this sense of physical closeness to the people he trusted most. He’d grown used to sleeping alone on the Castle, and was struck by longing when he remembered how easy he’d slept during his Garrison days. Most of that easiness had been to do with Hunk, because he’d listened to Hunk’s snores and the way he shifted around beneath his sheets and hadn’t felt annoyed, but like he was more at home. He knew he would sleep peacefully for the rest of the night, comforted by Hunk’s presence.

Maybe he’d ask for more sleepovers in the future.


	14. Lance/Shiro - Early

There was little that could rouse Shiro from sleep when he was determined to stay in bed. Years of waking up before the sun in the Garrison had made him treasure the mornings where alarm clocks stayed silent. He never used to think he’d want to waste away the day in bed sleeping, or dozing, or even doing nothing. But he did.

One thing, however, had proved to be an infallible way to wake him.

And that thing was his pesky little boyfriend, Lance.

Perhaps it was a little unfair to call him pesky when Shiro would just about do anything for him. He was completely smitten with Lance, in every sense of the word. When he thought about it, falling in love with Lance had happened quickly, almost as if it were overnight. One moment, they were close friends, trusted companions, always together. The next Shiro was helplessly in love and chasing after every little bit of affection Lance would give him.

They’d been together for a long time, now. They shared a house. They shared a cat. They shared a bed.

A bed in which Shiro would have loved to spend more quality time with. Alas, Lance was more attention-seeking than their cat when it was in a good mood, and Shiro was helpless to do anything other than oblige every one of his boyfriend’s whims.

“Shiro,” Lance whined, “wake up.”

Shiro groaned, and turned his face into his pillows. They had a lot of quilts and pillows on their bed at Lance’s special and insistent request. It was like waking up in a mountain of softness every morning, and Shiro loved spending as much time as he could basking in the warm sunlight that filtered in through the window.

“Shiro,” Lance insisted.

He blinked open his eyes, and was rewarded for his efforts with a positively stunning grin from Lance, who hovered over him. “What time is it?”

“Time to wake up,” Lance said. He leaned down to press a chaste kiss to Shiro’s cheek, then the corner of his lips. “You look comfy.”

“I am comfy,” Shiro told him. He rolled onto his side to face Lance, drawing him closer by the waist. Lance was all warm and soft from sleep. He still had pillow creases on his cheek, and his hair was sticking up in a dozen different directions. As per usual, he was the most beautiful person Shiro had ever laid his eyes on. “What’s got you up so early on the weekend?”

Lance shrugged a shoulder. His pyjamas had twisted around a little while he slept, and one shoulder was being pulled at, exposing a smooth section of dark skin. He glowed when he was like this, when he was happy and smiling and flushed with something undeniably pleasant. 

“I just wanted to see your eyes,” Lance said, like it was the simplest thing in the world. “You looked so happy when you were sleeping that I wanted to know what you were thinking about.”

Shiro didn’t often remember what he dreamed about. Like most people, he had dreams often, but they were fleeting images, more like feelings or sensations than anything tangible and real. “Well, if I looked happy,” he said, “I was probably dreaming about you.”

Lance flushed red, grinning again. “You big sook.”

A small smile turned at the edges of Shiro’s lips. He leaned over to steal a proper kiss from Lance’s mouth. He didn’t care if he lost precious sleep because of Lance. His boyfriend would always be the most precious thing in the world to him, worth more than all the comfortable sleep-ins he could ever want.


	15. Lance/Shiro - Run

Lance was not a fan of running.

That wasn’t to say he didn’t like physical exercise, because he did. He used to play tennis when he was younger and in school, and every Thursday night his older siblings would take him out ice skating. His mother liked to walk after dinner, so everyone would join her, and it wasn’t uncommon for him and his cousins to dash around the beach like startled rabbits whenever a silly competition came to mind.

There were other physical activities he liked, too. He loved yoga, and gentle stretching. Yoga was always great when Shiro was around to see.

Speaking of Shiro, he loved to run.

Shiro was a pretty fit person. He worked out regularly and eat healthily and lifted weights every night just to make sure his arm stayed pain-free. When he had the time, he liked to go for runs. Sometimes that meant he’d wake up at five-thirty in the morning so that he could be back and showered, ready to go to work, at seven. Other times that meant he’d jog before dinner, after he’d gotten home from work but before he’d showered. He never went for too long, usually an hour or less, but it was a part of his day that he enjoyed.

Especially if Lance went with him.

Which was why Lance was currently running, even though he hated it.

“How can you enjoy this torture?” He huffed, as he struggled to keep up with Shiro’s lengthy strides. He was sweaty and uncomfortable, but it was worth it to see Shiro laugh so freely, like he didn’t have a care in the world.

“It’s satisfying,” Shiro told him, grinning. “And if you talk, you’ll lose your breath faster!”

Lance only groaned. “I can think of far more satisfying things for us to do to get some exercise. Like sex. Sex is good.”

“Maybe later, if you’re lucky.”

Lance snorted. 

If he were being honest, he didn’t completely hate running if Shiro was involved. He loved doing anything with his husband just because he was with Shiro. And Shiro was right – running was satisfying. It left him boneless and relaxed and refreshed. He could feel every part of his body stretching and burning, working to keep him going. Running cleared his mind, left him thinking of nothing other than the next step he was taking.

Until he caught sight of Shiro out of the corner of his eye, that is. Shiro liked to wear tight pants and a thin, sleeveless hoodie when running, like a proper workout junkie, and he looked delightfully sinful.

But that was something to focus on later. For now he was just content to be by Shiro’s side.

Even if that meant going for runs.


	16. Keith/Lance/Shiro - Benefit

For the most part, learning to sleep with Keith had been an interesting experience. Learning to live with him and Shiro in general was, actually.

Lance was used to living with a lot of people. He had quite a few siblings, and had grown up hopping from bed to bed, changing the place where he slept almost every night depending on mood and which of his siblings felt like sharing their pillows. He liked sleeping with others in the room, and felt comforted by the weight of someone else on the mattress and another person’s gentle breathing.

Shiro seemed to like it, too. He was their pack leader, so he sometimes felt and acted like he had to put Lance and Keith’s comfort above his own, which was an instinct that had slowly but surely started to fade. He still insisted on entering the bed only after they had, and usually wouldn’t start to eat until he was sure his mates were, but he seemed to be enjoying the life of a pack member.

It took Keith a while to settle into it. He’d spent a lot of time alone, and hadn’t grown up surrounded by present pack mates. Sleeping in a bed with two other people had been difficult for him at first – he’d said it felt suffocating, like he had no room to move or breathe. Lance was much happier to now say that Keith enjoyed a little company while sleeping, and that he’d even admitted it himself. 

That was another thing that had taken Keith a while to get the hang of – admitting he actually liked something out loud. Lance had gotten really good at reading his subtle body language in an attempt to find out his favourite foods and his preferred sleeping positions and all the sorts of things Keith never vocalised. Lance wouldn’t have said he was on the bottom of the hierarchy in their pack, but he knew that his mates prioritised his comfort over their own, so he always strived to return the favour.

When it really came down to it, sleeping was one of the best benefits of having a pack. Lance liked being squished in between his two mates, or waking up tangled in someone’s arms. They’d all gotten used to it, now – the closeness of a pack bond. So used to it that Lance would bet any one of the three of them would struggle to sleep in an empty bed now.

Secretly, he thought that the companionship of a pack bond like the one he had with his mates was the best benefit of a pack. It meant that he never felt alone, and that he always had someone to turn to, someone who would support him and have his bad, and know that they had all of his support in return. 

What could ever be better than that?


	17. Lance/Shiro - Prince

“Shiro, I don’t think this is…”

“It’s fine, Lance,” Shiro said, laughing joyfully as he tightened his grip on Lance’s waist. If possible, his gloved hands felt even larger than usual, and were burning heat into Lance’s skin even through all his clothes – and he was wearing a lot of them. A fancy, silky shirt and a tightly cinched waistcoat with golden trim and tiny buttons; heeled boots with golden laces; snug pants too tight to fit anything into the pockets; a coat trimmed with lace that billowed like a gown whenever he was spun by Shiro’s expert hands. 

The clothes were the most expensive thing he owned, and even then he’d only paid for the coat – something he was both proud and very pitiful about (he could afford the coat, yes, but _only_ the coat. Shiro had insisted on gifting him the rest of the ensemble despite Lance’s protests). 

“People are going to get ideas,” Lance said, his voice barely above a panicked, hushed whisper as he stared up at Shiro without raising his head too high.

“Let them,” Shiro said, like it was the easiest thing in the entire world to say. “If they start thinking that I’m completely infatuated with you, it would just be a lie to deny it.”

Lance went bright red, all the way up to his ears. “Shiro,” he whined.

Shiro only laughed again, and spun Lance around in a dizzying circle. “It’s the truth!” He insisted, as he brought their foreheads close together. “I don’t care what anyone here thinks, Lance. I hardly know them. My parents adore you, and they know I adore you. It’s only a matter of time before the surprise of you in my arms wears off and they’ll be jealous that I have such a strapping young man all to myself.”

The teasing made Lance smile, like it always did. As long as he focused on Shiro, kept his eyes on his handsome partner, it was easy to ignore the ballroom of royals and nobles watching them dance. Watching Lance – a nobody – dance with Prince Shiro, the beloved royal with a lion heart and a sense of fairness and justice to rival all. There was nobody in the entire kingdom who didn’t adore their Prince. No knight who didn’t aspire to be him, no maiden who didn’t wish to capture his attention.

Somehow, Lance had done just that.

And now they were going to be married. Shiro had courted him for months in secret, only telling his parents about the farmer boy who had caught his gaze. It had taken Lance a long time to accept Shiro’s affections, no matter how much he’d wanted to. After all, who would condone their relationship? A farmer boy and a beloved prince? It didn’t sound right.

But it felt right.

And when Shiro proposed to him a fortnight ago, he hadn’t hesitated to say yes. He knew what becoming the Prince’s husband would entail, and everything he’d face from disapproving royals and nobles from within the court and the neighbouring kingdoms. Not to mention all the diplomatic work he’d need to learn, and all the etiquette, and all the financials. He was willing to work to become the consort the kingdom needed him to be for Shiro.

The previous evening, the King and Queen had announced that their son was to be wed. Usually, when the Prince courted a potential consort, it was a very public affair. Shiro had wanted to get to know Lance without the pomp and circumstance, and Lance hadn’t wanted to be out in the spotlight until he was sure this was what he wanted from his life. Now everyone knew, and those attending the evening’s ball were ravenous to get the first glimpse at the betrothed pair.

If Shiro didn’t care about the stares, then Lance decided he didn’t, either. He loved Shiro with all his heart, and knew that Shiro adored him, too. No one had ever cared for Lance in the way Shiro did, or treated him so gently, like he was worth more than the world.

He did wish that he could dance better, though. He felt like a ragdoll, but at least Shiro seemed to take great pleasure in leading him and showing him off. 

“My handsome husband,” Shiro cooed, as he pressed a flurry of sweet kisses across Lance’s face, forgoing the required dance steps to instead scoop Lance up and spin him around.

“Husband-to-be!” Lance reminded him, laughing. He put his arms loosely around Shiro’s broad shoulders, unable to stop himself from smiling. 

Shiro just grinned, flushed with delight.


	18. Keith/Lance/Shiro - Werewolves

Living with two werewolves was an interesting experience for Lance. Don’t get him wrong, he was definitely a dog person. He loved his two big werewolves with all of his heart, and found all their werewolf quirks quite endearing. He liked the way they whined when they wanted something (usually kisses) and the way their canine teeth were a tad longer than normal and he’d even gotten used to their love of raw meat.

He thought that maybe it was an interesting experience for them to live with a vampire, too.

It wasn’t uncommon for mixed species to enter a mateship, but it wasn’t exactly common, either. More often, werewolves would stick with werewolves, and vampires would stick with vampires. It was easier to understand the hardships and struggles between people who were the same species, after all. It wasn’t like werewolves could comprehend the scorching pain of a starved vampire. Nor could a vampire comprehend the pain of a full moon transformation.

But inter-species relationships were becoming much more accepted nowadays, and Lance was incredibly in love with his two werewolves.

Even when they crowded the fridge with too much meat.

“Shiro!” Lance complained, as he looked over his shoulder at his mate. “Why is there so much meat? The full moon isn’t for another week!”

Shiro gave him a puzzled look. He was standing by the stove cooking their dinner, something he’d gotten much more skilled at after Lance had taught him the basics. Considering Lance still needed to eat – vampires couldn’t live on just blood, no matter what the movies said – it had been quite beneficial to teach his mates how to cook. Keith didn’t particularly like it, but Shiro did, even if he hadn’t been that great at it.

“The fridge – you know, our tiny, we’re-going-to-upgrade-this-fridge-soon fridge? It’s stuffed full of meat.”

A puzzled frown touched Shiro’s lips. He turned down the heat on the stove and came over to peer across Lance’s shoulder, his hand falling to Lance’s bare waist – crop tops were a blessing in summer. “Oh, Keith must have bought it all,” he said, as he took in all the raw produce currently filling almost every shelf of their fridge. Both of the werewolves consumed quite a bit of the stuff leading up to the full moon, and during it, too. But they didn’t usually start craving it until the week before the moon.

Which usually gave Lance enough time to set up a tiny, portable esky full of blood for himself, the type that ran off electricity. 

As it was, there was no room for his fresh order of blood in the fridge, and no esky to put any of it in.

“Hold on, I’ll see what it’s about,” Shiro said, sighing. He pressed a sweet kiss to the side of Lance’s head and pat his hip once. “Try and shove some of the meant in the freezer for now, okay? Make sure your food doesn’t go bad.”

Lance hummed. He knew better than to interfere when it came to a werewolf’s food stash. They are like – well, like ravenous wolves – when the full moon came, because they burned through calories like nothing else. It was the same way that his boyfriends never messed with his blood.

For the time being, he tried to rearrange Keith’s hoard of meat. He knew that Shiro would straighten it out – that was something else he wouldn’t interfere with. Werewolves had instinctual hierarchies that he shouldn’t get in between, so disagreements of the werewolf kind were handled strictly between Shiro and Keith. Because Keith was the younger werewolf, and therefore more inexperienced and hot tempered, it was Shiro who took control. He could cool Keith’s anger and solve disagreements with patience and rationality. 

When the two came back in, Lance could immediately tell that Keith had been scolded. Shiro had his hand on the back of Keith’s neck, but it was gentle, almost encouraging. Keith was still sulking, a frown on his lips, looking like a dog with its tail tucked between its legs. Lance just raised a brow at him.

“I’m sorry,” Keith muttered, eyes downcast. “I didn’t mean to buy so much, and I forgot to tell you to get the esky ready.”

“It’s okay,” Lance told him, because it was. He knew Keith wouldn’t mess with his food on purpose. “I didn’t know you were craving this stuff already, though. Are you feeling okay?”

Keith shrugged a shoulder. Shiro ducked his head to sniff at Keith’s neck, and frowned a little. 

“Come here,” Lance said, as he shut the fridge. He’d managed to fit most of his blood packets in, though a few still sat slumped on the bench. 

Keith slunk forwards, looping his arms around Lance’s waist to pull him close. He nuzzled against the side of Lance’s head, and didn’t protest when Lance put a hand to his forehead. He felt a little warm, but werewolves ran hot, so Lance couldn’t be sure.

“Can I take a little blood?” Lance asked.

“You don’t have to ask,” Keith mumbled, as he tilted his head to the side.

“I do,” Lance reminded him. He always asked before sinking his teeth into his boyfriends. Not only was it something incredibly intimate, but it was deeply personal, and it always required consent. In his mind, Lance also admitted that it was a way for his boyfriends to know if he was slipping, or if he was unwell. If he bit them without asking, then something was wrong. He’d never done that, but it was something he always assured himself about.

But, since he had drunk from his mates before, he was deeply in tune with the taste of their blood. Lance’s senses were quite heightened, and while he couldn’t always smell a change in their blood, he could certainly taste it. 

Shiro watched on like a hawk as Lance carefully brushed hair away from Keith’s neck. He pressed his lips against Keith’s heated skin, letting them rest there for a second until he could feel Keith’s pulse, and then he pressed his dainty fangs in. Drops of blood welled to the surface as Keith released a breathless sigh.

Biting could be pleasurable. It usually was.

Lance wasn’t focusing on that, though. He let the taste of Keith’s blood wash across his tongue before licking the wound clean. Werewolves were fast healers, so the tiny pinpricks were already closing up. 

His blood wasn’t exactly right. Not sickly, but not perfect.

“I think you’re getting sick,” Lance said, as he smoothed Keith’s hair back into place. “Or you will be, anyway.”

“That would explain all of this extra meat,” Shiro said. He came up behind Keith and pressed his hand to Keith’s forehead, then kissed the back of his head. “Off to bed, you. I’ll bring you something to eat.”

“Okay,” Keith said. He kissed Lance once, squeezing his hips before he disappeared back out of the kitchen.

“Did you fit your blood in the fridge?” Shiro asked.

“Most of it,” Lance said. He opened the fridge and handed Shiro one of the meat packets. It would be good for Keith to eat one along with his dinner to strengthen his immune system, and to give him a calorie boost. That cleared a bit of space for his blood, so he squeezed as much in as he could, and held up the one remaining packet that wouldn’t fit in. “I’ll just drink this now.”

Shiro nodded, ducking to kiss Lance’s forehead before returning to the stove. “Alright. Make sure you get your esky ready early.”

“I will. It’s not like Keith to get sick.”

“I know, but it happens to everyone eventually. He’ll be fine.”

Lance nodded in agreement. With a strong werewolf _and_ a vampire tending to his every wish, Keith had nothing to worry about.


	19. Lance/Shiro - Spirit

Shiro found him during a snowstorm.

Living isolated on a mountain meant that one became closely acquainted with storms. That was something he learned the hard way, when he ran out of wood for his fireplace before the storm had run its course and the supply truck that visited all the mountain residents was still an entire week away. There was only so much warmth blankets and hot cocoa could provide.

It was unusual to get visitors up on the mountain, which was mostly why Shiro had chosen to live there. After his accident in the army which led to his honourable discharge and the loss of both his arm and any sense of self-worth he had, he hadn’t wanted to be around people. He still didn’t, even though it’d been a year and a half now. He needed the time to be on his own, to not have to think about anything other than chopping wood and making sure his damned tomatoes survived the winter.

Which was why he was surprised to find someone slumped across his doorsteps in the middle of a snowstorm. 

To say he was surprised, actually, was an understatement. At first he’d thought the thumps against his door had been from the storm. It wasn’t strange to have chunks of ice and condensed snow flung around by the wind, and as he hadn’t been living in his home for too long, he always tried to convince himself that the strange noises he heard were normal and not in fact any sign of danger. But the thumping persisted, so he crept towards the door, and when there were no more noises and the wind quieted for a moment, he carefully edged the door open.

There was a body on his doorstep.

A living one, but a body nevertheless. Panic shocked him worse than the cold did, and within moments he had the poor boy bundled in his arms and inside. It was impossible to take in any details or injuries when the boy was covered head-to-toe in snow and shivering like there was nothing else his body could do. 

He set the boy on the couch in his cocoon of blankets. It was the closet couch to the fireplace, which he immediately stocked with more wood to keep it roaring. He didn’t want to cross any boundaries, but wearing snow-drenched clothes wasn’t going to do any good, so Shiro wrestled off the boy’s soaking jacket, shoes and socks. He replaced them with one of his own bigger coats and his fluffiest pair of socks, which were far too big for the boy’s feet.

What was a person meant to do in this situation? Now that his sudden guest didn’t seem like he was going to die of hypothermia, Shiro allowed himself a moment to collapse in his armchair, completely exhausted. The boy didn’t look much younger than him, but he was a good head shorter, and much slimmer. His hair was short and brown, and was a shade darker than his brown skin. He looked completely ragged, and if the dark circles beneath his eyes were any indicator, he probably hadn’t slept well for at least a week.

Once, when Shiro had first ventured down into the closest town to stock up on supplies, the elderly women behind the counter of a dusty little family-run grocers had warned him about spirits living up in the mountains. She had spoken so seriously that Shiro hung on every word she’d said, and had left the town in a daze.

It was hard to believe that spirits like the ones she’d spoken of actually existed. People who were born from nature, who could control nature. Fire in the summer, water in spring, earth in autumn, frost in winter. There was no limit to their supposed powers, or their beauty. That was something the woman had emphasised – their beauty. Not just physical, but the beauty in their movements, in their voices and their actions and their personalities.

Shiro could only judge the boy on his couch based on looks, but he was pretty enough to bring the woman’s stories back to his mind. Shiro wasn’t blind, and he could recognise when people were physically attractive. This boy was _stunning,_ even as bedraggled as he was.

He chastised himself for thinking like that. He had no idea what had happened to this boy or why he was out tromping through a snowstorm. Shiro had to make sure he didn’t get sick.

It took a couple of hours for the boy to wake up on his own. Shiro let himself doze off a few times, but he always made sure to wake up to check on his guest. He made hot tea when he noticed the boy starting to stir.

There was no stranger way to meet someone, Shiro was sure. The boy woke up confused and disgruntled, and accepted the tea more on instinct than anything else. When he’d finished most of the mug he seemed to wake up a bit more. His eyes were a startlingly handsome shade of blue, and Shiro knew he was gone.

His name was Lance, and as it turned out, he _was_ a spirit.

A very flirty, pretty one.

What had Shiro gotten himself into?


	20. Keith/Lance/Shiro - Alpha

Being a pack alpha was difficult.

Shiro had come to this conclusion long before he was even a part of a pack, and his thoughts on the matter hadn’t changed much since he’d formed a bond with Lance and Keith. They had their ups and downs, their agreements and disagreements, but he loved them dearly and would have done anything to protect them, even to the detriment of himself.

Most of the disagreements ended up in him having to take control. He was the alpha, and it was his job to keep the peace, and to make sure his omegas were happy and healthy. At first, when they’d cautiously been edging into a mateship, he’d been unsure where the line between too dominating and dominating-for-the-sake-of-wellbeing had been. He hadn’t wanted to use his alpha pheromones or his strength as an advantage over his omegas, lest they start to resent him. He had to be responsible and it had been hard, at first.

He was better at it now. He could tell when they were bickering just for the fun of it and when they were bickering to be spiteful. Lance and Keith had strong, contrasting personalities, and neither one of them liked to back down. For the most part, that meant they got along splendidly, and were a real force to be reckoned with. Times like that made Shiro really question how he’d ended up with two perfect omegas in the first place. Other times, however, their fiery personalities meant they squabbled over pointless things, and argued with the intent of hurting one another.

That was happening less often now – the hurting each other part. They cared for each other far too much to do any real damage, and felt comforted by the knowledge that Shiro would step in with a heavy hand if he felt the need to. That was something they’d explicitly told him, and was something he was relieved to hear. Having his omegas trust him meant everything to him.

Still, his feisty lovers did argue over petty things sometimes. Like, for example, who got to sleep in the middle of their nest (they would take turns, unless someone was particularly upset – Shiro decided that). Or who got to eat the last cookie from a box (Shiro would usually halve it, or make a compromise – Keith could have the cookie, and Lance could have something from Shiro’s not-so-secret stash of sweets). Other times they’d argue over him, which was much more difficult to deal with. He wasn’t sure why it was so important who got to kiss him first in the morning, or who got to sit in his lap while they watched a movie. Compromises were harder to make when they were arguing over him, but it usually ended up making him laugh (because his mates were too cute for him to handle) and that was generally a pretty decent distraction.

As the pack alpha, he sometimes thought it was best to let the little arguments resolve themselves. He wouldn’t exactly say conflict was good for a relationship, but it did give Keith and Lance the chance to work out some steam. Of course, he argued as well, but it was different when they did it. His arguing had a cooling effect. Their arguing was like fanning an already blazing fire.

But the arguments were lesser and lesser these days. They still squabbled and bickered, but they didn’t argue. It was something that Shiro thought about at length: the difference between the types of conflict. He thought that now they’d all settled into the mateship, and there was no insecurity about one’s place in the triad or any jealousy over attention directed to another person, there was less to argue about.

And besides, when it really came down to it, Keith and Lance loved each other. It was clear they did, even to people outside of their mateship. But no one had a better understanding of their unique relationship than Shiro.

That was also something he thought about, as he watched his two omegas sleeping together. He’d had to stay back at work even though he really hadn’t wanted to, and although he’d told his lovers to eat and go to bed as usual, it was obvious they’d tried to stay up for him. He could hear the oven humming, just quietly, which meant his food was still sitting warm in it. His heart swelled with affection, and only got bigger at the sight of his mates.

Lance liked to drag a blanket around the house, even when winter disappeared and spring brought warmer temperatures. He liked the weight, and liked to be able to bury himself in it. He was laying down on the couch with his legs tangled in it now, the faint glow of the living room light casting his face in a sweet, orange glow.

Keith was behind him, trapped between the back of the couch and Lance, though he looked like he didn’t want to be anywhere else. They were chest-to-chest, as they often were, with Lance’s head tucked under Keith’s chin. Keith had a hand under Lance’s shirt, gripping at his hip, and Shiro surmised that it was likely his instincts dictating that he keep his mate from falling off the couch while they slept (because as much as they were Shiro’s mates, they were each other’s mates, too).

As Shiro leaned against the doorframe, just to watch for a moment, Lance began to frown. He shifted uncomfortably, then whimpered once, and Shiro’s heart lurched. He was ready to rush over and comfort his mate, but held himself back when Keith shifted in response to Lance’s little noise.

Keith blinked his eyes open, slow and sleepy, looking more asleep than awake. He pressed his nose into Lance’s hair and made a noise that could have been called both a growl and a coo, his own special brand of comfort. It was a low, sweet noise, one he’d make to Shiro too, when he was particularly happy or when Shiro was particularly sad. That, and the nuzzling, did the job just perfectly – Lance snuffled in his sleep once, turned further into Keith’s embrace, and slipped back into perfect sleep without so much as a mumble. Unsurprisingly, Keith did as well.

Shiro couldn’t help but sigh to himself, utterly content. He set aside his jacket over the back of the couch and bent to kiss each of his omegas on the forehead in turn – Keith first, for being so sweet to Lance, though he’d never tell them that. 

There was no doubt in his mind that his two omegas were the sweetest.


	21. Keith/Lance - Fire

They weren’t meant to see each other. Realistically, Keith knew that even coming across a water nymph like Lance was almost impossible. There were only a small handful of springs and lagoons in the fire territory, and normal water nymphs would never stray so far away from their beloved seas and expansive lakes.

Lance was different. At first, Keith had thought Lance was merely stupid. Why else would a water nymph venture so far into hostile land? He still sort of thought that now, but he knew Lance was more reckless than anything. He liked tempting danger, especially if it had an attractive face. And, according to Lance, Keith was very attractive.

Except for the hair. Keith had no idea what Lance was talking about, but apparently Keith’s hair was abhorrent, and it was his favourite thing to complain about. Keith had offered to cut it into something more fashionable to appease his secret lover, but that only made Lance complain even more, and there was nothing worse than his insistent pouts.

One of which he was wearing now, as it were. The kind of pout that turned down the corners of his lips and made his brows furrow upwards. It was the “I want something” look, a look that Keith had become very acquainted with since first meeting Lance all those months ago.

“I told you, I’m not taking you into the city,” Keith sighed. This wasn’t the first time the conversation had arose – Lance’s desire to explore dangerous places hadn’t lessened, not even when Keith began to show him what a fire nymph could do. 

“Fine,” Lance said, though his pout ramped up a notch. He was oddly beautiful, even when he wore such a teasingly despondent expression. At first, Keith had attributed that beauty to all water nymphs, but he’d since come to learn that it was just Lance who was outstandingly mystic. He had all the hallmarks of a water nymph, all the tells and traits, but he wore them better.

Water nymphs were known for being willowy and graceful when they moved. They usually lived in and beside water, spending most of their time building civilisations in the shallows and beneath the surface. When out of the water, there was an ever-present sheen to their skin. It wasn’t wet, but it looked it, and when the light struck them right they glittered like the surface of the ocean, too. Lance’s dark skin and blue eyes complimented this well: he was a walking gemstone, something Keith imaged would be found in the most beautiful part of the ocean. 

Lance was very different to the nymphs he was used to being around.

If water nymphs were life, were the way water brought forth plants and glittered in the light, then fire nymphs were what remained of that life after a wildfire had burned it all the way back to bed rock.

Fire nymphs were known for being temperamental at best. Fire burned in their hearts, and ash was an ever present companion on their skin. They always built their homes at the base of volcanoes, or in forests with ember trees – trees that burned continuously, and were only killed by water. Keith lived in one of those forests, and more often than not had ash turning his already dark hair a black deeper than the night. 

He sometimes feared that the fire in him would burn Lance, but it hadn’t happened yet, and he hoped it never would.

It was easier to control that heat when Lance was around.

But there was no way he was taking a water nymph into the heart of a city surrounded by fire. It wasn’t safe, not for Lance, or for the trees that fire nymphs needed to survive. Without the fire from the ember trees, there was no way fire nymphs could inhabit this part of the land. It was why they were so territorial – not just because of their legendary tempers, but because the trees were sacred, and their fire was a bringer of life, not a destroyer.

And it wasn’t like he thought Lance would put any of them out. For one, the fire burned far too hot for a single nymph to extinguish. He’d need an entire army to do that. And it wasn’t like Lance wanted that, either – he’d made his wants and desires very clear, and never felt the need to lie when telling the truth got the reaction out of Keith he was searching for.

(For example, telling Keith outright that he was the most beautiful nymph Lance had ever laid his eyes on riled him up much more than insulting him ever would have. Who would have thought water nymphs could be so devious?)

In the end, either one of them venturing into the other’s homeland wasn’t a smart idea. Lance would burn, and Keith would drown. There was no easy solution to their relationship, mostly because it was unheard of. But Keith loved Lance anyway, even if he was a pain. Even if they were different. Even if he used his tantalising pouts to get what he wanted.

“You’re trying to change my mind,” Keith observed, as Lance sidled up to him, eyes hooded.

“Is it that obvious?”

“Yes.”

“Is it working?”

“No.”

“Oh well.” Lance pressed himself into Keith’s arms, leaning so close that their noses touched. “At least I can have you here.”

A smile touched Keith’s lips. “Here” was the land in between their two territories, where ember trees mixed with normal trees and a lagoon condensed beneath a slowly flowing waterfall. It wasn’t enough to hurt him, and the ember trees didn’t burn furiously enough to hurt Lance. Somehow, the wildlife here had learned to coexist. That was what they were doing, too.

“I’ll figure out a way to take you there,” Keith murmured. A secret part of him wanted Lance to see his home, to meet the people he considered family. That same part of him wanted to meet Lance’s family, too, to see the home he idolised.

“It’s okay,” Lance assured him, as he nuzzled their faces together, “we can work it out. I’m just happy to be with you. That’s all that matters for now.”

Keith hummed, and closed his eyes. He couldn’t agree more.


	22. Lance/Shiro - Casual

Lance didn’t think he’d ever get used to seeing Shiro in casual clothes.

It wasn’t like his normal clothes weren’t casual. Each of the Paladins had the clothes they wore on the day he’d first flown Blue away from Earth, but other than that, there was nothing but Altean clothes to wear. Lance was fond of the pyjamas, and there were casual training clothes not unlike the ones from Earth, but it wasn’t quite the same.

When they came across a store with clothes fit for humans to wear, they jumped at the chance to buy them. Allura and Coran had found it amusing to watch them fawn over hooded jumpers and sweatpants, but none of the Paladins cared. The castle was able to fabricate clothes for them, but there was just something exciting about having clothes that could have very well been from Earth.

Lance liked seeing Shiro in casual clothes – more casual than his usual clothes, anyway. He didn’t get to see it often – in fact, he only saw Shiro forgo his normal clothes for something more comfortable at night, when he thought no one else was awake to see. It happened once, when Lance was sitting in the control room, a hologram of the galaxy surrounding him. He’d wanted to see Earth on the maps like Coran had showed him, but he didn’t know how to work the controls, so he sat on the steps and observed whatever planets he could.

Shiro had found him like that. He’d been surprised, of course, but he seemed to understand Lance’s homesickness. He knew how to work the controls and found Earth, and then they sat together, partly in silence, partly in gentle conversation, until Lance felt tired enough to sleep again. It didn’t just happen once, but twice, and then a third time, and then a fifth, and then almost every night they could.

It was nice to be with Shiro alone. And not just because Lance had a giant crush on him. He felt more at ease this way, like he could get to know Shiro better. They were both vulnerable in those moments, without their armour or the others to hide behind. 

Usually, Shiro would show up in sweatpants and a thin sweater. Sometimes he’d wear a thicker jumper, with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows. He favoured muted tones, mostly greys and off-whites and blacks. Lance liked brighter colours – blue jeans or a floral sweater or a coloured button-down. He had sweatpants as well, and if he was feeling particularly miserable or in need of comfort, he’d wear them.

There was something just very alluring about Shiro in casual clothes. Lance watched him out of the corner of his eye sometimes, trying to memorise the way Shiro’s wrists looked in sweater cuffs or how the waistband of sweatpants never seemed to stay above his pelvic bones. He was attractive in every sense of the word, and in all the clothes he wore, but Lance liked how Shiro looked when he was soft and comfortable and relaxed.

He wondered if their nights spent secretly sitting together were going to go anywhere. He liked them regardless, but his traitorous little heart never failed to not remind him of his feelings for Shiro. Sometimes he thought he caught Shiro watching him, or smiling to himself a little too long after Lance had made a stupid joke, or lingering when he touched Lance’s shoulder. He wondered if Shiro liked him, like how Lance really, really liked Shiro.

(He did.)


	23. Lance/Shiro - Hero

The first time they met, Lance’s apartment building was on fire.

It wasn’t his fault. The woman in the apartment directly beneath him had left a hair curler on, or something like that, and it had set her house alight. The apartment block was kind of old and nothing really worked (which is why rent was cheap enough for Lance, a fulltime student, to afford) so as soon as the woman’s apartment caught fire, so did the rest.

The worst part of the entire ordeal was that it happened at night, when everyone was asleep. The apartment building’s fire alarm was delayed in going off, so it was the firetruck siren’s that woke Lance up. Of course, the person who’d called them eventually set off the fire alarm in the building itself, but by then the building had gone up in smoke.

The firefighter who helped Lance escape was a man called Takashi Shirogane. He was incredibly strong and incredibly attractive, a fact that Lance only let himself make after the first had been put out and nobody had been hurt.

Now, Lance was definitely the type of person to use the fire as a chance to ask out a hot fireman. Shiro wasn’t, but as it turned out, he was the type of person to ask out a person he’d rescued when they happened to stop by the same café the next day (the café Lance mentioned going to when he asked out said hot firefighter the night of the fire… completely coincidental).

If anyone asked, Lance was more than willing to tell a glossy story about how his husband-to-be heroically risked his life to save him from a fire. Shiro was the perfect hero, and the perfect boyfriend. There were times when Lance could still hardly believe that Shiro liked him. He asked about it once, wondering what Shiro had first seen in him.

“What’s not to like?” Shiro had countered, one brow raised rather teasingly. “Here was this cute boy in booty shorts just waiting to be rescued. You had legs for days, Lance.”

Lance had snorted, amused. “So you’re a leg man, then?”

Shiro put a hand on Lance’s thigh, and Lance had been very glad he’d brought the topic up while they laid in bed. “If they’re your legs, then yes.”

Of course, there were some things that weren’t so nice about dating a firefighter. Like the hours, which demanded that Shiro be on call at all times. He’d sometimes get a call in the middle of the night and rush out of bed so quickly he’d wake Lance up in a panic. Other times he’d come home with soot all over him or the little hairs on his arms singed. There was the crushing fear that Shiro would get hurt, too, and that kept Lance up at night when Shiro wasn’t sleeping beside him.

But he’d never try to stop Shiro from doing the job he loved. He was passionate and serious about his work, and knowing that he was helping people satisfied Shiro in a way that nothing else could. Shiro was proud of his work and Lance was proud of Shiro.

Besides, Shiro had promised Lance something very important, and it was a promise that Lance knew he’d never break.

“I’ll always come home to you, Lance,” Shiro whispered one evening, when Lance had spilled his worries. Shiro had cupped his face and kissed the tip of his nose just to make Lance smile, despite the way his cheeks were squished. “I promise. I’ll always come home to you.”

Lance believed him.


	24. Allura/Lance/Shiro - Assume

Lance worked as a personal assistant. It wasn’t too bad of a job, even though there were hundreds and hundreds of horror stories floating around the internet of poor interns who were mistreated by their crazy, demanding bosses. Lance was rather proud to say that his boss was the best boss he’d ever had, and that wasn’t because he thought his boss was insanely attractive (which she most definitely was).

Working for Allura was probably the best job Lance had ever had. Not only did he work in the luxurious, high-rise offices of Altea Industries, but he also got paid rather handsomely, was always challenged to do his best, and he was surrounded by the nicest co-workers he’d ever had. Everyone who worked for Altea loved it, even when the job was tough and time-consuming. And alright, maybe he was exaggerating a little – he didn’t think the janitors liked their job, but that was because they cleaned floors, not because of Altea as a company.

He still sometimes wondered how he’d ended up with such a good job, considering his resume was a little lacking. During his interview with Allura and her most trusted consultant, Coran, he’d stumbled his way through flirty comments interspersed with serious answers and somehow Allura had taken one look at him and decided he was perfect for the job.

“It’s because you’re eager,” she’d teased him, when he asked about why she gave him the job. “I know from the moment I saw you that you’d do anything I say, and work your hardest to earn my praise. Am I wrong?”

She was not, in fact, wrong. Allura hadn’t ever was. She wasn’t wrong when she assumed he liked his coffee stuffed full of sugar to chase away it’s naturally bitter flavour. She wasn’t wrong when she assumed his favourite colour was blue and that he loved it more than he should of when she wore blue dresses or blouses or pants to work. And she wasn’t wrong when she assumed that he was desperate for her attention in a more than friendly way.

Thankfully for him, she was quite happy to return his affections. She was nothing if not fair, and was the perfect, attentive lover. They shared many similar opinions and goals, and had been a committed relationship for a while now. Lots of people assumed that working for his boss would have been uncomfortable or awkward, but Lance was sure it only brought them closer together.

Of course, being in a relationship with Allura meant that he thought he knew her pretty well. She knew him, too, maybe more than the other way around. Still, the moment they laid eyes on Takashi Shirogane, one of the new workers in their office, there was no doubting their attraction to him, physically and emotionally.

Things only became better from then. 

Allura was irresistible, and together, Lance liked to think nothing could stop them. And when they both put their minds to something – like impressing Shiro, for instance, and making him want to date the both of them – then there was little chance they’d fail.


	25. Allura/Lance/Shiro - Staring

Lance thought that being stuck in space as an omega was going to suck. He wasn’t entirely wrong, either. Space meant no suppressants, which meant an awful detox period, and it also meant both his scent and the scents of his companions were always present, always filling his nose. He didn’t like it, but he got used to it, and then he found comfort in the scents of his pack.

So not everything was all that bad. Hormones and pheromones and instincts aside, it was nice to form a pack bond. All humans had a secondary gender, and things like pack bonds – close knit group of people forming relationships deeper than friendship – were common. There were other bonds, of course, like mating bonds. That was something Lance hadn’t expected, either.

Shiro was an alpha. He had the height and the stature of a typical alpha, but none of the big-headed posturing or urge to dominate others. Not only was he the leader of Voltron, but he was their pack leader, too. He kept the Paladins in line and made sure no boundaries were over stepped. He wasn’t the only alpha; Keith and Hunk were alphas too, but Shiro was the most suited to the job. He fell into leadership naturally, almost without realising. 

That was how their mateship felt, too. Natural. Lance had liked Shiro the moment he laid his eyes on him, but Shiro had never taken advantage of that. At first, Shiro hadn’t liked Lance back in the same way, fearing that their changing hormones and the lack of suppressants might influence either one of them. When everyone was clear of medication, however, Shiro revealed that he liked Lance more as than a friend. It had been a slow, careful process, but their tentative approach to a relationship had made it all the more worth it in the end.

Surprisingly, they worked well together as mates. Shiro was keen to pamper someone, and had a hole in him that ached to care for someone else. Lance was looking for someone to love him as much as he’d love them. Neither one of them needed the other to submit, or to be submitted to. They were equals in every sense of the word, even if Shiro was an alpha and Lance was an omega.

There were some things, however, than their relationship lacked.

Well, one thing.

Allura.

Lance had instantly felt attracted to Allura, just like he had with Shiro. He liked her because she was beautiful and he liked her because she was kind. Eventually he started liking her because she looked good standing next to Shiro, too. Thankfully for him, Shiro had been thinking the same thing – the evening he nervously admitted that he liked the thought of Lance and Allura together had been one of the most eye-opening evenings in Lance’s life.

Of course, gauging Allura’s reaction to their feelings was difficult. Alteans didn’t have secondary genders, so there was confusion as to where she’d fit in between them. She didn’t naturally submit, not like Lance did, but there were times she’d let Shiro have complete control. She hadn’t understood their mate bond – it took her a long time just to comprehend the bond the pack shared.

Eventually she understood, though. She was smart like that.

And interested.

For a little while Lance thought that maybe she was interested in them for curiosity’s sake. After all, they were the only alpha-omega pair she’d ever met. When it came down to it, Lance was the only omega she’d ever met, too. What if she’d only been interested in a completely scientific manner? Lance couldn’t have taken the hope of her affections only to find out she was only interested in learning about their biology.

But it hadn’t been like that. Deep down, he knew Shiro would have never allowed Allura into their mateship if he wasn’t sure about her intentions. And as much as she was wary about the shape of their ears, she was very much interested in the rest of them. She was always quite happy to restate that in great detail any time Lance asked. It was a big confidence booster.

That was how he ended up in a mateship with an alpha and an Altean. Lance had no preference for gender of any kind (or species, it turned out) so he considered himself the luckiest omega in the universe to have two beautiful people interested in him. There was nothing better than spending time with his mates, especially after Allura had settled into the relationship.

“You’re staring,” he muttered.

“Am not,” Allura replied, amused.

He huffed, and turned his face further into her chest. They were slumped against the couches together, taking advantage of a rare moment of quiet. Lance was exhausted – he could feel his heat approaching, and since it was the first one he’d had since Allura had joined their mateship, he was stressed and nervous and worried. 

Allura wasn’t too concerned. She’d grilled Shiro on all the details of omega heat until Shiro was too embarrassed to answer anymore. She’d only let up in her questioning after she felt thoroughly prepared for whatever Lance’s heat could bring, and since then she’d simply been content. 

“Aright, maybe I’m staring,” Allura admitted. She ran her fingertips over the edges of his ears, then cupped the back of his neck with both hands. “Your scent is finally becoming strong enough for me to smell. It’s nice.”

He couldn’t help but smile. He’d once thought that his weight would be bothersome to her when he laid on top of her like he was, but she liked it. He liked it, too. Allura, when she was her natural height, was smaller than him, but she had a habit of growing bigger so she could coddle him like Shiro did.

“I need to shower,” Lance mumbled. 

Allura just shook her head, and pressed her nose into his hair. 

Shiro found them like that a little while later. He took one look at Allura and the way she was larger than usual, and at Lance and the way he was refusing to face the world, and seemed to know exactly what the situation called for. He didn’t ask if anything was the matter, and instead just took a seat beside Allura, pressing a gentle kiss to her cheek. One of his hands settled on the small of Lance’s back, and Lance couldn’t help but sigh. Shiro’s scent mingled with Allura’s and it made him melt.

“I can smell your scent now, too,” Allura said, pleased, as she returned Shiro’s affectionate greeting. “Are you responding to Lance’s scent?”

Shiro flushed. “You don’t have to say it like that.”

“But yes,” Allura finished, grinning broadly. One of her hands absentmindedly carded through Lance’s hair. “It feels nice to be able to smell you now, since you two can always smell me.”

Even though Allura wasn’t a human and therefore didn’t have a secondary gender, Lance liked to think of her as his alpha. She could have easily fit into any of the dynamics, but she’d once admitted that if she had to be one, she thought she’d most identify with alpha characteristics. So she was therefore his alpha, and when he thought of his alphas, she was included.

Like then, for example. He thought he could’ve fallen asleep to the sound of his alphas talking quietly, and sure enough, he felt his eyes begin to droop. A tried whine escaped his lips, and the conversation briefly paused. Shiro rumbled at him, gentle and reassuring, and Allura hummed, her version of the same sound. 

Sleep came easy with them there.


	26. Keith/Lance - Solution

Lance sometimes had trouble falling asleep.

It was a problem he’d had on Earth that had unfortunately followed him up to space, one he’d had since childhood. Sleeping wasn’t a problem for him – he usually slept pretty deeply, and didn’t often toss and turn. But actually falling asleep was a struggle.

He thought it was because his mind was overactive. Sometimes it ran away from him, and he had no way of reeling it back in. Thoughts would turn into more thoughts and before he knew it he was forcefully trying to count sheep or repeating the word “sleep” over and over just to try and get it to stop. 

It wasn’t too much of a big deal, but it did bother him sometimes. It was easier to fall asleep after an exhausting mission or a day of excessive training, when his body was far too worn out to let his mind wander. Not every day was spent that way, however, so sometimes he was left doing things in order to tire himself out. Helping Pidge down in the hangars was one way that was sure to make him sleepy, or cooking in the kitchen with Hunk, mostly because he wasn’t that great at it.

When he started sharing a bed with Keith, he found new ways to exhaust himself.

Keith liked to train, so sometimes Lance would join him. The only part of any combat situation he excelled over Keith in was shooting, but it was good for him to up his hand-to-hand skills, which Keith started helping him with. No one really knew that they had started… well, whatever they had started. Sleeping together in the same bed, faking fights, having secret joy flights with their Lions. Lots of kissing. Lance liked that part.

After a little while, when Keith began to notice his problem, he started figuring out solutions on his own. Sometimes he would slip a hand under the back of Lance’s shirt and trace senseless patterns over his bare skin until Lance fell asleep. Other times he’d sit on the edge of Lance’s bed and carefully polish his blade, letting the rhythmic sound of the cloth sliding against metal lull Lance’s mind. 

Sometimes, when he was feeling particularly affectionate, he’d slide an arm under Lance’s neck to hold him close and press faint kisses to his forehead. A dozen, two dozen, even hundreds of times, until Lance’s eyes closed and stayed that way. 

That was Lance’s favourite way to fall asleep, though he’d never said it out loud. He was pretty sure Keith knew, anyway.


	27. Keith/Lance - Bite

It’s said that if a vampire finds their mate – the one they’re meant to share their life with, the one whose blood calls to them unlike any other – then there’s something in them will just know. Lots claimed that there was a spark, or an overwhelmingly pleasurable scent, or a feeling like magnets drawing them together.

Lance liked to think it was all true. He hoped that at least part of it was, even for turned vampires like him. He wasn’t born a vampire, but he knew a lot of people who were. They seemed to believe in mates too, which was hopeful. As it were, however, he hadn’t had much luck in the way of partners. He’d dated all sorts of people – boys, girls, vampires, werewolves, that one nymph who was more like a one-date thing than an actual date thing.

His luck seemed to change a bit after he met Keith. 

Keith was a born vampire, but his life story wasn’t all that pretty. He was conceived by two humans, but during her pregnancy, his mother had been bitten by a feral vampire, turning both her and Keith. Vampires had no problems conceiving despite what the stories said, but Keith had been sickly as a child, and had grown up jaded and angry. He was still closed off when Lance met him, too furious at the world and what had happened to his mother to really learn to live as a vampire.

It was a different now. Lance had eventually gotten through to Keith, if only because he was stupidly stubborn and recklessly persistent. Keith hadn’t wanted anything to do with him, not when he found out Lance had been changed. He’d pitied Lance, and felt sorry for him in a way that had a lot to do with his mother.

Still, Lance had long since gotten over his current species status. He was sure Keith’s mother had, too. Convincing Keith that he was more than just a turned vampire had been tough, especially when Keith hissed and bared his fangs anytime Lance came close. Of course, he didn’t do that just because Lance was turned – no, he also did it because he’d sensed that they were mates and didn’t know what to do with that information.

But, like Lance had said, it was different now. Keith had learned a lot, and had come out of his shell. He still hissed when people came close – but only when they came close to Lance and Keith wasn’t in a sharing mood. His aggressive tendencies had turned into protectiveness – he was determined to never let anyone hurt Lance, even if the most painful thing Lance that had happened to him in a long time was a stubbed toe.

For now he put up with Keith’s antics. It had taken so long to get through to Keith that any scrap of affection was something he was desperate for. He’d felt the bond just like Keith had, and having it denied for so long had hurt him a lot. Keith was determined to make it up to him now, and Lance was more than willing to let him.

Even if that meant waiting for Keith’s possessive instincts to settle (which they would, eventually, after some time had passed and Keith realised that nothing bad was going to happen).

Currently, Keith’s strange habits had boiled down to a few key actions: one was hissing at anyone who came too close (within reason: for example, not hissing at classmates) or who he sensed had bad intentions, and another was leaving prominent bite marks on Lance’s neck. Most of the marks were ones that Lance let him leave, and were easily coverable. Vampires tended to heal faster than humans, especially from another vampire’s bite, if it wasn’t done with the intention of causing damage. And Keith was always careful when he bit Lance, even if “rough” was one of his most prominent personality traits.

Usually, Keith only bit him when they were alone. He’d catch Lance walking by him and snatch him up, pulling him down so that they could sit on the couch together. Of course, with the way Keith held onto him, it was more like Lance was trapped in a jail made of stupidly muscled arms. Which, in hindsight, he didn’t actually mind.

Same with the biting for that matter. Keith would always nose along the skin of his neck, making sure that Lance willingly tilted his head before finding a place to bite down – the willing part was the important part. Sometimes Keith would just bite, leaving his fangs in deep enough for a couple of seconds to cause a deep bruise to appear. Other time he’d just nip, or keep his teeth pressed against Lance’s skin for minutes on end, like the connection was draining tension from him. Sometimes he’d drink Lance’s blood and the moment would rapidly become something that should definitely happen in the bedroom.

When it really came down to it, Lance was just glad to have Keith for himself. He knew they were mates; it was the only thing he’d ever been certain of in his entire life. 

He was happy that Keith believed it, too.


	28. Allura/Lance/Shiro - Affection

For once, Shiro was the first person to arrive home.

It was strange, because he was generally the last to step through the front door, so long as Allura wasn’t held back by any emergency meetings. On most normal days he came home to his boyfriend curled up on the couch and his girlfriend either beside him or rummaging around the kitchen, too impatient to wait for him to cook.

As it were, only Allura was home. He could hear her fiddling around in the kitchen, the kettle already set to boil. Her shoes were tucked in the little rack they had by the front door, and her purse was sitting on the table. He left his jacket slung over the back of the couch and headed for the kitchen.

“Lance not home yet?” He asked, as he slunk up behind her, his hands going to her waist.

“Not yet,” she said. She tilted her head and let him obligingly press a kiss to her cheek. “He said he’d be late, but he should be here soon. I’ve already ordered Chinese for dinner.”

He hummed, and spent a moment just holding her, recharging his batteries. When he felt rejuvenised, he kissed her properly. “I’m going to shower then.”

Allura waved him away, smiling an affectionate little smile.

By the time Shiro had showered and changed into comfortable clothes, both his boyfriend and his dinner had arrived. He found Lance slumped over the dining table, still in his work clothes, looking more like a bedraggled cat than a human. It was easy to see he’d had a tough day, and that he was aching to be pampered. He’d have to wait until the weekend before Shiro and Allura could really give him the attention and coddling he wanted, but he was good at being patient, even if he was a little whiny at times (Shiro thought it was cute).

Shiro bent down over him and pressed a kiss to the back of Lance’s head. Ever since he’d fallen into a relationship with Lance and Allura, he’d felt a lot more comfortable showing them physical affection. He never thought he’d be the sort of man to shower his lover – lovers, actually – in kisses, or that he’d almost love sleeping in to cuddle more than going out, but he was, and he did.

Lance lifted his head to give Shiro a grateful little kiss on the cheek, and soon Allura joined them, setting the food on the table. Kisses and comfort food made everyone seem more like themselves, and as they all sat down to enjoy dinner, Shiro couldn’t help but think that nothing could have been any more perfect than it was.


	29. Keith/Lance/Shiro - Summer

Lance did not like the heat.

While he did like summer more than winter, there was a limit to how much he could withstand. He loved the sun, he loved when the weather was warm and bright, and he loved going to the beach or heading out for a summer’s day trip to the city or some scenic location. His family was from Cuba, so they were used to the heat.

But when it was over forty degrees and the air conditioning in his entire apartment block was out.

“It’s too hot,” he complained, probably for the fiftieth time in the last half hour, as Shiro walked by. His boyfriend was wearing as little as possible – just a thin shirt and shorts. He was definitely a delightful little eyeful to catch sight of, but Lance felt so lethargic and slow that he couldn’t even appreciate his handsome partner properly.

“Sorry Lance, the air conditioning is still out,” Shiro said. He walked by the couch where Lance was slumped face down and pressed a cold water bottle against the back of Lance’s neck. “We’ll have to deal with the fans for now.”

“They’re just pushing around hot air.”

“I know. I’m sorry, love.” Shiro reached down to tuck a hand under Lance’s chin, his palm still damp from holding the water bottle. Lance made a very unattractive grunting noise as he leaned his face into Shiro’s cool skin. 

Keith eventually returned after what appeared to be another unsuccessful trip down to the manager’s office. Lance listened on ruefully as Keith told Shiro what the manager had said – that the systems had been overworked from everyone using the air conditioning at the same time, and that they were trying their best to fix the problem.

“Doesn’t seem like it’ll be fixed soon, though,” Shiro sighed, as he fanned himself with the hem of his shirt. “It really is way too hot.”

Lance groaned in agreement.

Keith leaned over the back of the couch to press a kiss against Lance’s forehead. “I thought you liked the heat.”

“Not like this,” Lance whined. He swatted Keith away lazily, but Keith just laughed, and threw himself down in front of the rotating fan. Shiro passed him a cool bottle of water too before finally settling on the couch, holding his own bottle against his neck. “I’m taking the floor tonight,” Lance declared. “You two can sweat it out in the bed.”

Shiro laughed. They all knew Lance couldn’t bear sleeping anywhere but in their bed – he was too fussy for anything else. It would probably get cooler once night hit, but that didn’t stop the afternoon from sweltering away. It was definitely hot enough to fry eggs on the pavement outside.

Even if Lance hated the heat, at least he got to see more skin from his boyfriends. If there was one benefit to the furious heat of summer, then it was being treated his boyfriends stripping off as much as decently possible. If only he had the energy to enjoy it more.

Still, he liked to think they could make up for sweating it out during the hottest days by taking a trip to the beach. A dip in the ocean was sure to cool everyone off. That was something he looked forwards to.


	30. Keith/Lance/Shiro - Blanket

Lance was determined to find the perfect blanket. 

According to his alpha mates – those ignorant, silly, handsome alphas of his – all the blankets were the same, or close enough to it that it didn’t really matter which one they bought. They, of course, had no taste and were not the ones carrying a baby in their belly, so their opinion was of little consequence to him. If Lance wanted to visit six consecutive baby stores in search of the perfect blanket, despite the four other perfect blankets they already had at home, then his mates were going to take him to six baby stores.

The sixth store of the day was quite nice, as far as stores went. It was clean and air conditioned and smelt faintly like baby powder and new plastic; neither bothered his nose. The aisles were wide and there was quite an extensive range of children’s products on offer, and everything was divided by age range, so finding what he needed was simple.

Most male omegas tended to have shorter pregnancies than females, usually only lasting eight and a half months rather than the standard nine to ten. While their bodies were equipped to handle the stress of a baby, they weren’t as good at it as biological females were, especially not female omegas. Lance was very aware that his pregnancy was fragile, and his instincts were already kind of wild before he’d been swamped by hormones, so he was becoming a little pedantic as his baby grew bigger and bigger.

The sixth month mark really hit an all-time high in instincts for him. Most omegas built nests during their pregnancies, and were often subject to strange cravings, unpredictable sleep schedules and mood swings. Of course, there were other things too, like being obsessively protective over their nest and mates, and being irrationally selective over what they bought for their baby. It was always worse with the first child, apparently, but Lance was doubtful. He was sometimes so controlled by his instincts that he hardly felt like himself, and his adoration for his unborn baby was endless. He couldn’t imagine it being any different if he ever had a second child.

For now, he focussed on the one.

And this one needed another blanket.

He’d found the baby blankets in store without many distractions. He had Shiro carrying the basket, and Keith holding his hand. That had been more at Keith’s insistence though, and without any argument from Shiro, Lance had relented. He’d had a tough morning – while he didn’t often get morning sickness anymore, he’d slept very restlessly, and had ended up nesting in the nursery for most of the night. He hadn’t allowed either one of his mates in until mid-morning, when he’d declared that he needed another blanket.

When it came to shopping for his baby’s things, he was pretty picky. Everything had to be the right colour and size, and it had to be made from safe materials. Nothing was allowed to have any foreign scents on it, or scents that made him instinctively prickle. He was used to the scent of plastic or fabric, and the scents of store clerks or other patrons that handed the merchandise, but sometimes there was something else that made him defensive.

The blankets at the store, however, were all really nice. He pawed through them with his free hand, first looking for the right colour, and then inspecting the patterns available. He only liked the softest blankets, and ended up finding one that was light blue, made from the softest, fleecy material he’d ever felt. There were little yellow ducks embroidered into the edges.

“What do you think of this one?” He asked, holding the blanket up for inspection.

“It looks soft,” Shiro said, smiling gently. He looked tired, but never complained. The sweet look in his eyes made Lance’s heart swell.

“Keith?”

“I like it,” Keith answered. He’d matured a lot in the last few years, Lance thought. He remembered the times when he and Keith both had been impulsive and reckless and argumentative and wondered when they’d both become so responsible. Well before deciding to have a baby, of course, but still.

Satisfied, Lance placed the blanket in the basket. Shiro took the chance to press a kiss to his forehead, holding Lance close for a moment. “Are you feeling better?” He asked.

Lance nodded. “I’m sorry,” he said.

“You don’t need to apologise,” Shiro reminded him. “You’re dealing with a lot more than we are, and we both know you’re not being spiteful.”

“I’ll try harder to keep my head cool,” Lance promised with a weak smile. It had been easier before he started to show, but the more he progressed in his pregnancy, the fiercer his instincts became. He was really trying to suppress the irrational ones, but once an idea or a thought had gotten into his head, he struggled to dissuade it. Especially when it came to the baby.

“I’m still proud of you, Lance,” Shiro assured him, as he nuzzled the crown of Lance’s head. “Is there anything else we need while we’re here? Anything you want to look at?”

Having the approval of his top alpha made Lance preen. There was always a hierarchy between alphas to stop competing and fights, and Shiro was more suited to the role, so he’d always been their top alpha. Keith had been too young and reckless for the job, and as they’d all grown up and aged and settled into the mateship, he’d found that he hadn’t wanted the role. Keith felt safer having Shiro make the hard decisions for their little triad.

“We need some more of those little plugs that go in light sockets,” Keith said, as he pressed against Lance’s back, his chin hooked over Lance’s shoulders. One of his hands slipped around to Lance’s stomach, just lightly touching him, waiting until he felt a small kick from the baby before relaxing. “We should get more winter wear if there is any you like, too, Lance.”

“That’s a good idea,” Lance said, perking up a little. Keith hummed, and Lance’s attention flittered back to him. He pressed a thankful kiss to Keith’s cheek, ignoring Shiro’s amused huff of laughter.

Even if Lance was a little pedantic, he knew his mates didn’t mind too much. After all, they were very protective of him and their baby – growling at alphas that came too close or stared for too long, making sure he only ate the best foods, ensuring he got all the blankets at night. They were more often than not glad that he was so protective of the baby; they were proud that their omega was so fierce and happy to be pregnant. 

Between the three of them, their baby was going to grow up so loved and protected that Lance hardly had a worry in the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone asked for pregnant omega Lance... how could I say no? ❤


	31. Keith/Lance - Details

Keith worked in a garage part-time. He was good at fixing things, especially machines and vehicles, and it was a good chance for him to make a little extra money. He was in his last year of university, and already worked a few days a week at a gym with his sort-of brother, Shiro, so any chance to make a bit more cash was one he’d take.

He had a fiancé he wanted to spoil, after all.

He’d known Lance for ages, more years than he could count. Actually being friends with Lance was a fairly recent development, probably since the end of school and the beginning of university. Keith had a feeling they’d always liked each other, even if they’d never said anything. It took a change of scenery and different life circumstances for them to finally get together, and even then it felt like they’d been a package deal for ages. No one was surprised when they got together, but people were a little surprised when Keith proposed three years later.

It wasn’t like they were rushing things. He and Lance had talked about what they wanted from life, if kids and marriage and that sort of thing was a plan for the future. His proposal hadn’t been a surprise to Lance – well, not in the sense that they hadn’t talked about it. The actual moment was a surprise, and one of the fondest memories Keith had.

For now, they were content just being fiancés. They’d had a small engagement party with their friends at a nice restaurant with good food, but they hadn’t set a date for their wedding. It was probably two or so years away, for now. Both he and Lance were in their last year of university, so they agreed to graduate and delve into their chosen career paths before marrying. That worked just fine for Keith, who was very content to wear a ring on his finger (they both had rings) so people knew he had a wonderful boyfriend who he loved very much.

At least, that what he thought people would assume when they saw his ring or when he mentioned his fiancé.

He supposed he should have said Lance’s name, or something. Spoke about him enough so that his co-workers realised his fiancé was a male and not a female. He’d forgotten that detail. It had never really been a big thing for him, and it wasn’t like he thought of Lance as “my male fiancé”, he was just “my fiancé”.

It was an amusing experience, to put it simply, when the people who worked at the garage with him realised his fiancé was a man. Keith wasn’t much of a cook, so Lance did most of it, while he cleaned. He tried not to forget the lunches Lance made because they were delicious and he didn’t want to waste them, but sometimes he did forget, like that day. Luckily for him, Lance was home, and willing to bring it in for him during Keith’s break.

Keith wasn’t too bothered by the curiosity of his co-workers. They were all good people, and they didn’t care that his fiancé was male. They had just been picturing a girl all this time. Keith spent his entire break with Lance, listening to him chat about his day and all the drama he’d heard about at his job at a local coffee shop. And if they got a few curious, not vindictive, stares here and there, then neither one complained. 

It was hard to focus on anything other than each other when they were together.


	32. Keith/Lance/Shiro - Observe

Shiro never thought he’d be a lucky enough alpha to have two wonderful omegas in his little pack. He’d always thought he was lucky enough to just have Lance, an omega with a funny, if sometimes overbearing personality and a desire to succeed and beautiful blue eyes.

It had been Lance that drew Keith into their bond, Keith with his fiery glare and pale scent and hot attitude. Lance and Keith hadn’t gotten along at first (which Shiro thought was mostly Lance’s fault because he insisted they had a rivalry, but he’d never say that to his omega), but when they started to get along, it was clear they were perfect for one another and Shiro, too. Their personalities contrasted in the best way possible, and now that they were together, they were always looking out for each other.

Even if they still bickered sometimes.

It had taken some time for Shiro to get used to Keith. This was before they developed a more romantic relationship – Lance wouldn’t have considered being intimate with Keith if Keith and Shiro didn’t get along, but they definitely did. Shiro was just as attracted to Keith as he was to Lance, once he’d gotten to know the guarded omega. It took him a while to realise what Keith really wanted: _them._ He’d been envious of the way Shiro doted on Lance, and the way Lance loved Shiro. Under all his stony stares and brooding silences, he was aching for affection.

Shiro and Lance were more than happy to give that to him.

They’d been together for a few years now. Shiro had gotten used to having two omegas with him, and liked to think he was an expert at quelling their arguments. The three of them worked together well as a team. Recently, they’d been talking about having children. Lance was very eager to have a child, and they’d decided that they were at a point in their lives where they were both financially and emotionally stable enough for children.

Of course, when it came to his omegas, Shiro should have known that even pregnancy would be a competition. The two of them shared a heat cycle, and usually went into heat once every three months or so. Lance fell pregnant first, and while Keith had been hesitant about carrying, experiencing it first-hand through Lance made him feel comfortable with the idea. When it came down to it, those were sorts of decisions that Shiro didn’t interfere with. Still, when Keith went into heat three months after their last cycle, he’d expressed an interest in forgoing protection. 

That was how Shiro not only ended up with two omegas, but two _pregnant_ omegas.

And they were quite the handful.

Lance fussed over Keith far more than usual once they found out Keith was pregnant. He was already an avid nester before his pregnancy, but hormones made his instincts wild, and he was nesting almost constantly now. Keith was the opposite – he didn’t nest often, not even when pregnant, but whined and whimpered until Lance did it for him, which Lance was more than happy to do. 

Sometimes it was easier to let Lance take charge. He knew how to ease Keith’s morning sickness, and the best positions to lay in when he was sore. Shiro was there to fetch them anything they wanted and to give them massages and scent them (which he got to do as much as he wanted – he liked that). 

Lance started showing well before Keith did. Shiro constantly felt over protective, and had to hold himself back from treating Lance like he was made from glass. Eventually, when Keith started to show too, it was the same. He wanted his mates to be happy and healthy, and to never want anything. 

He loved every moment of their pregnancies, even the less glamorous ones, like strange cravings and restless nights and morning sickness. One of his favourite things – aside from feeling his children kick, and seeing his omegas glow with pride when they thought no one was looking – was when his omegas became all cuddly, like they were melting with sweetness. It happened every couple of days, when they felt healthy and warm and content.

Lance was usually the instigator. Shiro was always out of bed before the two of them these days, so Lance would roll into the warm space he left, and sniff out whatever edge of the large bed they shared that Keith had let himself sprawl out on. He’d whine and huff until Keith groaned and obliged him, rolling over to cuddle against Lance as much as he could with Lance’s round little stomach in the way. 

Lance would always nuzzle Keith’s hair and paw at his belly, where just the smallest little bump had formed. Keith melted under the gentle affections every time, and would always end up holding onto Lance, letting his omega do whatever he wanted. 

Shiro liked to watch them when they were like that. They were so soft and gentle that deep down he knew they’d make wonderful parents. And to think they were making _him_ a parent too… sometimes it was too much for him. It felt like his heart had no more room for the love he had for his mates, and for his unborn children. 

Most mornings when they were like that, he was content to leave them be. He had his own bond with them as their alpha, both individually and as a triad. Their bond as omegas was one he was content to observe, rather than interfere with. 

But his omegas were happy to let him in, if he wanted to join them. Usually he’d make breakfast first, just to give them some time to wake up, and then he’d carry the food in and lay wherever they wanted him. Most of the time it was behind Lance, because Keith was a little less submissive when it came to instincts and he liked to know that their omega was safely sandwiched between them. Other times he’d lay behind Keith instead, and rub the aches out of his back.

He really did count himself as the luckiest alpha out there to have two wonderful people in his lives – soon to be four. There was no one he loved more than his mates, and there was no doubt in his mind or heart that his feelings were thoroughly reciprocated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What’s better than pregnant omega Lance? Pregnant omega Keith, too ❤️


	33. Keith/Lance - Cruise

Working on a cruise ship could be fun, if one could get their sea legs. Lance loved the ocean, and as a job he was taking to fill his spare time, he really couldn’t have asked for more. His job as a host for groups of guests was fun and lively: he waited in the restaurants and bars, handled craft activities with the young kids, taught yoga classes, and took the elderly on walks around the expansive deck when they wanted a bit of company and some extra knowledge pointed out about the ship. 

He loved his job, even if it came with a horrid uniform.

Especially when he got to see his boyfriend in said uniform.

Keith was not very interested in wearing colours, unless it was dark red. The ship visited tropical islands and sailed warm waters, so the uniform was appropriately light and colourful. For the males, or anyone who was uninterested in wearing a skirt or dress, a pair of smart white shorts with a vibrant blue hem was the choice pick. It was paired with a thin white button-down that had short sleeves and was always a little tight in the shoulders. Over the top of that went a blue vest with a folded back collar and a line of simple, small buttons down the front. To top it all off, everyone was required to wear a tie underneath the vest, smart brown boat shoes, and a white visor hat when outdoors.

To say they looked cheesy was a massive understatement, but Lance grew to love the uniform after wearing it for a month. Sometimes things were just so bad that they were good. He liked to think he rocked a visor, and the sweet old ladies he chatted with always said he looked dashing.

Keith, however kind of looked like he was being strangled every morning he dutifully put on his uniform.

As a person used to only wearing a mix of black, grey, more black, and red, Lance supposed Keith was a bit like a fish out of water when it came to light coloured clothing. Keith’s fashion sense wasn’t horrid, but it wasn’t the best either. He always wore dark jeans with rips in them (not the intentional kind), some sort of scuffed boots, and a layered mix of plaid or plain shirts, leather jackets and thin scarves. In winter he’d pop on a beanie too, and it always looked unfairly good on him. He could look downright handsome when he tried.

Though he did like to permanently wear these black leather fingerless clothes, which was strange. Lance still didn’t know why that was a thing, but he got used to it. Besides, Keith liked to pull off the gloves with his teeth when he wanted Lance to pay more attention to him (it always worked).

To see him in their stock-photo uniform was both a delight and a travesty. Keith worked behind the bar, and as a busboy when needed. He ran a lot of errands for the Captain’s crew (the Captain being his brother Shiro’s fiancé, a woman named Allura). He definitely didn’t do as much running around as Lance did, but that was mostly because Lance volunteered to do jobs all over the place, whereas Keith was needed behind the bar for cocktail hour (which was every hour, really) and for scheduled events. 

Every now and then their workdays would overlap, particularly when Lance’s guests had a party, or when he was assigned to wait and run tables in the bar where Keith was working. All of his guests knew about Keith – Lance couldn’t help but gush about his handsome boyfriend. It wasn’t unusual to see Lance become a little distracted pawing after Keith, wanting a kiss, when their shifts overlapped. 

At first, some of the guests and even their fellow employees had disapproved of their relationship. Having relations with a co-worker one was going to be spending quite a lot of time with, without any way to get space, was generally frowned upon. But Lance and Keith had been in a relationship for three years before they took the jobs, and they’d been living together for one, so people started to realise that it wasn’t a problem for them. They were the kind of people that got along when forced to be together, and Lance started to miss Keith when he wasn’t around. Working together on the cruise ship was a bit of a dream vacation for them, even if it was a job.

Besides, it was nice to spend some vacation time with Keith doing silly tourist activities on their free days. They attended yoga classes, taught by a different employee (Keith wasn’t very flexible but he tried). They also took the kick-boxing classes (Lance was not good at that), and they lounged together on the sun deck, and tried a whole bunch of new foods. 

All the employees were given days where they could explore the islands they docked at, so Lance and Keith would visit local tourist destinations, walk along beaches, and browse street markets. They had a little box in their room where all of their souvenirs were hidden, and it was quickly becoming full. Lance liked to keep a shell from every beach they visited, and he made Keith help him pick it. They had a lot of postcards, too.

Lance loved his job, but he loved spending his time with Keith more.


	34. Keith/Lance - Beware

Lance had been out on his journey for approximately six months before everything went wrong.

It wasn’t like he wasn’t good at taking care of himself. Most trainers that started their journey late, like him, were better versed in the ways of self-care than younger trainers were. Lance was good at finding safe places to rest, and at cooking decent enough meals, and especially at keeping both himself and his clothing clean.

He liked to think he was pretty good at training his precious Pokémon, too.

He didn’t have many Pokémon yet, but he had a nice little group, enough to let him do well in battles and contests. He’d started off with an Eevee, as did most people in his town (they didn’t have the standard three-type Pokémon trio, and he hadn’t been bothered to travel to the next town to select one). Using his Eevee, he’d also caught a Feebas (they were adorable and anyone who said otherwise were clearly blind and definitely deserved the bite they’d get from his Eevee). And lastly, for now, he had a Vulpix – but not just any Vulpix. He had an Alolan variant! And considering he lived in an area so far away from snow that he’d never seen any, it was quite a rare treat to be gifted with one (he’d been given an egg by his friend Allura, and his sweet Vulpix had hatched from it).

Six months after leaving home, and Lance was in deep trouble.

He hadn’t meant to upset the wild Bewear. He didn’t think anyone ever meant to, for that matter, but rather they were just naturally quite aggressive, and didn’t like people getting too close to them. Lance had only been in the Alola region for a month, trying to learn more about his Vulpix and the care it needed, so he didn’t know everything about the region and its ecology. There hadn’t been a sign or anything warning him about aggressive Bewear in this forest.

Didn’t stop him from running away from them as fast as he could, though.

He might have been screaming, just a little. He reasoned that anyone would, if a trio of Bewear were ploughing down trees to get to them faster. It was bad enough that Lance had gotten lost on the way to the Pokémon Centre – his Eevee was too weak to fight after a previous battle, and his other Pokémon weren’t strong enough to take on three huge Bewear on their own.

As he hid behind a tree, trying to hide from the Bewear and catch his breath, a dark shape jumped over him. He yelped and ducked, holding onto his weak Eevee tighter, his hand gently curled around its head.

He had no idea what Pokémon had arrived, but it looked fierce. The small Pokémon snapped at his heels and he jolted upright, holding his Eevee away from it. But the Pokémon didn’t seem to want to fight him, and as it darted away again, it yowled at him to follow.

So follow he did.

It was hard to see in the thick foliage, but he managed to crash through the trees and bushes after it. Leaves whipped at his face, but he didn’t dare move his arms away from his Eevee, wanting to protect it even at the cost of cuts and scrapes to his skin.

Eventually the trees cleared, and the sound of rushing water reached his ears. A deep ravine stood before him, connected on both sides by a rickety, wooden bridge. The Pokémon darted right across it, stopping halfway to stare back at him.

“You want me to cross that?” Lance demanded, incredulous. He edged one foot onto the bridge but it shook so badly he felt his knees tremble. “No way!”

The sounds of the Bewear demolishing the trees behind him made him change his mind.

The wind picked up the moment he stopped off solid ground. He grabbed onto the rope railing with one hand, but it did little to steady him. Carefully, he edged his way across the bridge, keeping a tight hold on his Eevee. “It’ll be alright,” he murmured, when it peered up at him with big, worried eyes. “Just hang on, and I’ll get you all patched up, promise.”

He was halfway across the bridge when the Bewear emerged from the trees. They had a habit of destroying anything in sight, and took a swipe at the posts holding the bridge up without hesitation. Lance felt his feet go out from under him as the ropes began to snap and unwind.

He made a dash for the other end just as a boy emerged.

“Grab my hand!” The boy shouted.

Lance reached forwards, but the bridge fell before he could grab on. He cried out as he fell and scrambled to hook his fingers in between the wooden slats. It killed his shoulder, but falling was a much, much worse option.

“Grab on,” the boy demanded again.

“Take my Eevee,” Lance pleaded. The boy had flattened himself against the ground, and had his hand reached down. Lance lifted his Eevee as high as he could and the boy grabbed it by the scruff before carefully pulling it up. It let out a cry as he slipped on the wooden slats.

“Now you,” the boy said. Lance pawed at the wooden slats, trying to keep himself steady. He refused to look down. The boy’s fingers, covered in black fingerless gloves, curled around his. The ropes holding the bridge together made awful snapping noises, and Lance felt his stomach drop. Just before the bridge collapsed, the boy caught hold of his wrist, and jerked him upright.

There was a painful moment when half of Lance was left hanging over the edge of the cliff, rock digging into his stomach. But the boy hauled him up with nothing more than a grunt, and then Lance rolled into his back, spread out flat and panting.

“Thanks,” he huffed, when he managed to catch his breath. Eevee whimpered and nudged at his cheek, so he rubbed its head, sighing. “We’re alright, buddy.”

“What happened?” The boy asked, as he leaned over Lance. “Everyone knows that forest is full of Bewear. Did you mess up their nest?”

“I didn’t!” Lance whined, pouting. “I was walking down the path, that’s all. I took a wrong turn. And I didn’t know about the Bewear!”

“You’re not from around here, then.”

“Nope.”

The boy hummed. He offered a hand and helped Lance up. “I’m Keith, by the way.”

Lance adjusted his grip on Eevee, letting it nuzzle his neck. “Lance. This is Eevee.”

Eevee made a small, greeting noise.

“That Eevee could use a Pokémon Centre,” Keith said. “There’s one just up that hill there. I can take you, if you want.”

And so they went to the Pokémon Centre. Lance gave the nurse all three of his Pokémon, and then sat down to wait for their check-ups to be finished. Surprisingly, Keith joined him. The little Pokémon that had helped Lance peered out from behind Keith’s legs, its tail curled delicately around its feet. 

“That one yours, then?” He asked, as he bent down to offer the Pokémon his hand. It sniffed his fingers, and let him pat it under its chin. “It really helped me out back there.”

“Yeah,” Keith said. He looked a little surprised. “It doesn’t usually let people touch it, though.”

“What Pokémon is it?”

“It’s a Litten, one of the starter Pokémon from Alola.”

Lance picked Litten up to rest it on his knees, where it curled up and promptly went to sleep. “What a cutie,” he said, grinning. “Are all your Pokémon from Alola? I’ve only been here a month.”

“Not all of them,” Keith said, amused. He reached into his pocket and pulled out two Pokéballs, which he let snap open. A Flareon and a Kanto region Vulpix emerged, both looking as serious and fiery as the Litten.

“No way!” Lance exclaimed, his eyes brightening. “We have the same Pokémon!”

Keith raised a brow.

The nurse returned that moment with his Pokémon. Grinning, Lance set aside Litten, and reached for his Pokémon while his Eevee padded over to sniff at Flareon. He brought out his Vulpix and watched Keith’s eyes widen with understanding.

“This little guy is why I came to Alola,” Lance said, as he crouched down to pet his Vulpix. “Raising an ice type where I come from is difficult, so I wanted to go somewhere with snow.”

“I see.” Keith offered a hand to Lance’s Vulpix, who was more than happy to have extra attention. “What’s in that other Pokéball?”

“Ah.” Lance took a seat again, and released his Feebas. It flopped around on the ground for a moment, but settled when Lance picked it up. “It’s this little guy.”

“A Feebas?” Keith tilted his head, puzzled. “Aren’t they hard to find?”

Lance was so glad Keith didn’t so ‘ugly’ or ‘weak’. He smiled, and patted his Feebas twice. “Yeah, they’re had to find, usually. But this guy was being tormented by a group of kids when I found him. I couldn’t let them hurt such a pretty Pokémon! Isn’t that right, Feebas?”

Feebas thrashed a little, looking happy and content.

It had had a rough start to life. A group of kids had dragged it out of a lake and were being cruel to it. Lance had sent them packing with Eevee’s help, and treated the Feebas for its scrapes and cuts. He’d set it back down in the water and fed it, too. It hadn’t wanted him to leave, and soon enough they were thicker than thieves. It had taken Lance a while to convince it that it was one of the most beautiful Pokémon ever, and that he was never going to abandon it.

But he meant what he said, and soon it learned to believe him, too.

“It’s cute,” Keith finally said, as he patted it too. “I’ve never seen a Feebas. Is it strong?”

“Oh, definitely!” Lance said, proud as punch. “No one can tackle harder than him. He’s super fast in the water!”

Keith laughed a little. It was a nice, deep sound that made Lance a little red. 

“Hey, why don’t you show me around Alola?” Lance asked, eyes hopeful. “If you have the time, I mean.”

“Sounds alright to me,” Keith said, smiling to himself. “You can teach me about Kanto region Vulpix.”

Lance grinned. “Perfect.”


	35. Keith/Lance - Fence

It was raining when Lance found Keith.

Even now, he doesn’t think that Keith ever meant to be found. He was lost, but sort of on purpose. He probably hadn’t expected the rain. If Lance were being honest, he hadn’t expected it either, but he had had an umbrella on him.

He’d been coming back from the little grocery store on the corner of the street. It was in between the local library and a flower shop, and most people in the neighbourhood frequented it to get groceries in between bigger shops at the bigger supermarket across town. Lance’s parents often sent him down there to get things they needed – bread, milk, eggs, flour, that sort of thing. Nothing too heavy to carry back while walking.

Now, Lance hadn’t really known Keith before that day. Keith was new in town. He’d moved in on the street behind Lance’s, so their backyards shared a fence. As far as Lance knew, Keith had moved here with his older brother, and they lived alone. He’d seen them move in and out of the house from his bedroom window, but no one had had a chance to introduce themselves yet.

Keith had gotten lost around the neighbourhood, and ended up hovering under the grocery’s awning when the rain hit. He’d looked miserable and probably felt miserable, too. His shoulders and hair were damp, which probably meant he’d been caught out in the open when the rain started. He’d just looked so cold and uncomfortable that Lance felt bad for him.

That was sort of where their friendship began. Lance got what he needed from the store and insisted on walking Keith home, the two of them squished under the umbrella – to Keith’s own home, not Lance’s. There he met Keith’s brother, Shiro, who had been worried sick about Keith getting lost. Lance had climbed the fence to get back home and dealt with his parents chastising him for getting wet.

He and Keith got along in the same way a cat and a dog got along. With a lot of arguing, and a touch of fierce protectiveness if anyone ever said anything bad about the other. As it turned out, the only thing keeping them separated was the fence between their houses, and that thing was ridiculously easy to climb with a lawn chair and a bunch of determination. 

It became clear pretty quickly that there was more than just a friendship between them, but for the time being, that was something that could stay on the backburner. They were content to spend time together, throwing notes over the fence and hiding in each other’s backyards when they were meant to be home. If Lance’s parents ever couldn’t find him, they’d only have to peer over the top of the fence or call out for Shiro. It was the same for Shiro, if Keith ever disappeared again. 

They were never far, but always together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've recently started a summer course, so I've been too tired to write much more than this lately. I wanted to write more for the Pokémon AU I did yesterday, but I was too exhausted to write that much. It was forty-three degrees today, and I really don't do well in the heat haha. It's still in the high twenties even though it's close to midnight :') Hopefully I can get some better quality writing done soon!


	36. Keith/Lance/Shiro - Familiar

Shiro was constantly apologising for his cat.

For his dog too, when it really came down to it, but it was always his cat’s fault in the first place and everyone knew that. It wasn’t strange to see both of them streaking across the yard or through windows to houses that were not their own. Most familiars were feisty and full of energy (particularly the magical kind) but his two took that stereotype to the extreme.

Sometimes, he thought all their extra energy was his fault. People like him – natural energy sources; pretty much human batteries – were often given a familiar that would help control the output they created. A familiar thrived off of magical energy, and were at their healthiest with a clean source nearby, so pairing up familiars with people like Shiro was a pretty common occurrence. He, however, had quite a bit of extra energy, too much for one familiar to handle. He’d been lucky to find Lance and Keith, a pair of familiars too stubborn to be separated.

The two of them kept a cap on his energy output, and got sustenance from it. The whole situation wasn’t anything weird, and nothing anyone would find in an adult book despite what the movies said. It wasn’t like they were incubi – just thinking about things like that made Shiro embarrassed. No, just living close to Shiro and forming a bond between the three of them allowed them to consume his energy without any consequences. 

It was rare for two familiars to be given to one person, but Shiro had needed it. Lance and Keith had been cautious around him at first, and he around them, but somewhere in between becoming friends and learning to live together, they’d developed something… more.

At first, it was just close companionship. The two of them had taken to switching into their magic forms – a cat and a dog – so that they could sleep in his bed without anything being awkward. It went from them curling up on the end to them moving to the side he didn’t use, and then eventually even closer to him. Lance, a small brown cat with a silky tail, liked to curl up in the crook of Shiro’s neck or in his dip of his elbow, if he could manage to squeeze himself in there. Keith, a black dog with pointed ears and ridiculously thick fur, preferred to drape himself across Shiro’s chest, his nose pointed towards Shiro’s chin. Sometimes he’d curl up over Shiro’s legs too, keeping him pinned to the bed in whatever position Keith wanted him in.

When they became more comfortable around him, and more used to his energy outbursts, they’d take his bed in their human forms. That had surprised Shiro, the first time it happened. He knew they’d gone to bed earlier than him, but was still shocked to find them curled up together on the spare side of the bed, limbs tangled and heads bent together. It had made his heart race. Still, he’d climbed into bed and had the best night of sleep he’d had in a long time.

Things became easier, after that. Lance and Keith were rambunctious with Shiro, and included him in their antics. They listened to him more, and spent more time in their human forms around him. If they found him asleep, they’d curl up and join him, rather than going off on their own. Dinner became a family affair, too. 

It was nice.

After a life of isolation, Shiro really liked it.

Even more so after their relationship became more.

It was a slow, careful thing, their relationship. It started with little things, like sleeping together, and eating together, and watching television together. Sometimes Shiro would be reading by himself quietly, and Keith and Lance would slink over to curl up in his lap or by his feet. As it turned out, neither one of them liked it when stormy thunder rattled the house, and they started coming to Shiro for comfort, hiding behind his legs or pushing their way under his arms if they could, regardless of which form they were in.

Falling in love with them was easy.

Realising and believing that they loved him back was harder, but they were persistent, and pretty convincing.

That’s why he was always apologising to others for the mess his familiars got themselves into. He loved them and would clean up their messes if he had to, because he knew they’d make it up to him later. 

They were just as protective of him when the situation arose. If he was burning out his energy too fast, they’d stick to him like glue, and shower him in affection until his energy quelled and he felt better. If anyone made any remarks about him – about his need for two familiars, or his prosthetic arm, or his scars – then they wouldn’t hesitate before leaping to his defence, aggressive and insulted on his behalf. Anyone who said they weren’t downright intimidated by the way Lance could hiss and Keith could growl were complete liars.

“I can’t believe you beheaded her garden gnomes,” Shiro groused, as he carried Lance in his arms. Keith padded along by his feet, looking just as chastised as Lance did. 

“They’re creepy,” Lance muttered, his big blue eyes peering up at Shiro sheepishly. “And besides, Keith said I couldn’t.”

“I did not,” Keith protested, but it sounded weak and dishonest.

Shiro let out a long-suffering sigh as he readjusted his grip on Lance, careful of his tail. Everyone who knew Lance knew that he couldn’t resist a challenge. His neighbour loved those creepy little gnomes, they were all over her garden! Shiro had hardly been able to get an apology out in between all of her complaining about his familiars. 

When he’d walked back across the road to his house, he nudged open the door with his shoulder, and held it there long enough for Keith to pad in. The moment it shut, Lance leapt from his arms, and in a flash of blue and red light, they both shifted to their human forms. Identical pairs of rueful – but not too rueful – eyes stared up at him. Lance took Shiro’s hands, wearing the pout that could get anything out of Shiro, and Keith pressed up behind Lance, knowing full-well that Lance’s blue eyes could get them out of any trouble.

“Will you forgive us, Shiro?” Lance pleaded, blinking owlishly. 

Shiro wanted to stay strong, he really did, but in the end he knew he couldn’t refuse them anything. “Promise you won’t behead any more gnomes,” he said. When Lance opened his mouth, he added, “Even if they’re super creepy.”

Lance pouted again, but Keith nudged his nose against Lance’s cheek, and glanced up at Shiro. “We promise,” he said, serious. Lance nodded in agreement.

Shiro relented. His familiars knew the moment he did too, like they could sense it. Lance purred and nuzzled under Shiro’s chin, seeking affection. He claimed Shiro’s lips once, then twice, before letting Keith do the same. Shiro felt his shoulders relax, and sighed against Keith’s mouth. Stress always made his energy flare up, and that tended to happen when his precious familiars inspired ire in their neighbours. 

After being efficiently distracted by his familiars, Shiro snapped to his senses, and shooed them away. He wasn’t the best cook, but it was his turn to make dinner, and he needed to get it started. As Lance and Keith disappeared into the lounge room, Shiro heard them murmuring to each other.

“He didn’t say anything about that crazy old man’s lawn flamingos, did he?”

“No, I don’t think he did.”

There was a pause.

“I bet you can’t behead them.”

“Ha! I totally could!”

Shiro just groaned to himself.


	37. Keith/Lance - Starved

When it came down to it, what they had between them was a secret bigger than the universe. Now, this on its own would have been a very big problem. Having a secret so large kept in a significantly insignificant body was like trying to contain all the light from the sun in a single bulb. Not only was it impossible, but it was painful, and a dreadfully lonely experience. 

Shared between two people, however, the secret became more bearable.

Missing Earth was like waking up one day only to find that everything was unrecognisable. One’s room, the scent of their sheets, the ceiling they looked at… different enough to be noticeable, but not different enough to name. That was the most frustrating part, when the longing for something became so fierce that it was intangible. 

Some things made it easier. If one could navigate the times when these things were unreachable, then quelling the need for home wasn’t impossible. For Lance, it was touch.

And a lot of it.

He missed all the connections he had on Earth. He missed the way his father would run his fingers through Lance’s hair, and the way his mother would put her hands on his shoulders when she was happy or excited by something he’d said or done. He missed the way his older siblings would let him hold their hands when he was frightened, and when his younger siblings would hold his. He missed bumping into people onto the street, or brushing fingers when he reached for his coffee order, or when he’d shake someone’s hand after introductions had been made.

He missed the feeling of other people’s hands on his skin. He missed touching other people.

It wasn’t like being in Voltron deprived him of that, necessarily. His connection with his fellow Paladins was deep and trusting, but it wasn’t the same. He craved something he didn’t have, and he knew it was touch. Not necessarily intimate, but touch nevertheless. 

As it turned out, he wasn’t the only one feeling like that. Not completely, anyway. Keith’s problem was the same as Lance’s, even if it expressed itself in different ways. Where Lance was desperate and clingy and easily wounded, Keith was distant and quiet and stony. After a lonely childhood and countless months spent alone in the desert, Keith had become used to being on his own.

He didn’t have to be, though. Not if Lance was around.

They didn’t tell anyone about their little rendezvous, not because they were ashamed, but because it felt better to keep it a secret. They’d usually meet in Lance’s room because he had more pillows and less knives. They never wore their armour, and usually discarded their jackets and shoes, sometimes forgoing casual clothes entirely in favour of soft, comfortable pyjamas. Lance always felt vulnerable like that when he was with Keith, but it was a good vulnerable. 

Lance liked Keith a lot more than he let on, but he thought Keith had some sort of idea about that. It certainly felt like he did, when Keith would trap Lance against the wall while they laid in bed together, or when Keith would insistently sneak his hands under Lance’s shirt, desperate for skin-to-skin contact. Lance was always willing to return the gentle affections, and loved to run his fingers through Keith’s hair or grasp at his hips or tuck one knee in between Keith’s. 

They’d waste hours together, sometimes sleeping, sometimes not; sometimes talking, sometimes not. The suffocating feeling of being one small human in an endless stretch of space felt a lot less intimidating after spending a night being pawed at by Keith. Being starved of touch was like gasping for air, but feeling close to someone physically and emotionally was like the moment when one’s breathing evened out, and it was no longer painful to inhale.

He hoped that Keith felt that way when he was with Lance, too. They suffered from the same form of starvation, but relief never felt far, not after they’d started spending their nights together. They never spoke about it, and it never left the room, but that was okay. Lance was happy to have the vulnerable, needy side of Keith all to himself, because he knew he could trust Keith with the same vulnerable, needy side of him, too.

They were never more equal than when they were at their lowest.

But that was okay.


	38. Allura/Lance/Shiro - Better

Allura liked to think she was very attuned to Shiro’s wants and needs. They’d been together for four years, and she loved him just as much as he loved her. Shiro had proposed to her six months ago, and a year before that they’d moved in together. They hardly ever fought, and were usually on the same page about most things.

That’s why when she brought up the idea of adopting a certain kind of pet, she knew he’d disagree without thinking about it. 

Still, she knew that Shiro was lonely, and that he could use some company when she wasn’t home. He still suffered from nightmares after his Garrison accident, the one that had taken his arm and left him with a prosthetic and a scar across his nose. She loved him all the more for his imperfections, and was endlessly proud of him for all the steps he’d made to help himself.

She thought that having a pet might help him even more.

But not just an average dog or cat. Altea Industries ran a lot of rescue programs for hybrid species, especially those with animal features. They were usually neglected when Altea housed them, but everyone who worked for Altea was very dedicated to helping them and teaching them to be independent. 

Shiro wasn’t very keen on the idea. He doubted he’d be able to care for a hybrid, or that they’d be able to find one who wasn’t frightened by his appearance. Allura knew all of his fears were ridiculous, but she didn’t dare say that. Instead, she coaxed him through them, and waited until he’d come to a decision himself before they did anything.

That’s how they brought Lance into their lives.

Lance was a very excitable, very confident cat hybrid with a hidden soft side. He’d liked Allura upon first meeting her, mostly for her appearance, which amused her greatly. More than that, however, was the way he’d reacted to Shiro. They’d met dozens of hybrids by then, but none had liked Shiro as fiercely as Lance had.

Thinking back on it made Allura smile. Lance had caught sight of Shiro across the meeting room and promptly forgotten all about Allura. His fluffy brown ears had flicked back, and he’d gone red and bashful, his tail slipping between his legs. He hadn’t gone straight up to Shiro, not like he had with Allura. Instead he’d slowly crept up behind him, and butted his head against Shiro’s arm. As surprised as Shiro had been, he’d started tentatively patting Lance. As soon as he’d paid any attention to the hybrid, Lance had started purring up a storm, instantly enamoured.

He hadn’t even seem to notice Shiro had a prosthetic.

Perhaps it was that little fact that let Allura know Lance was perfect for them.

They’d brought him home and let Lance settle in and since then, things had been a lot easier. Shiro had less nightmares when Lance was curled up beside him in bed, and Allura felt less stressed when she was getting by Lance’s eager purring after arriving home every evening. 

It almost felt natural that their relationship progressed into something more.

It didn’t always between pet hybrids and their owners. Allura and Shiro adopted Lance not to become a romantic companion, but to become a friend, someone who could help Shiro with his recovery. Lance was their friend, and he was given all the independence he wanted. He continued his studies at home, and he found a job at the local day care. 

And as much as he was their friend, he soon became their boyfriend, too.

Funnily enough, it was Lance who started things. He was a naturally affectionate person, but sometimes his affection verged more on romantic than platonic. It was something Allura and Shiro discussed before anything started. They both liked Lance, and surprisingly, they were okay with each other liking Lance, too. 

Lance kissed Shiro first. He was always nuzzling their cheeks and purring into their necks, but one evening when he was sprawled out against Shiro’s chest, he’d kissed him. It had surprised Shiro, but not enough that he wasn’t able to keep a gentle hold on Lance when Lance tried to flee, stuttering out profuse apologies.

But they didn’t want or need his apologies. Allura had stood behind the couch they were sitting on and pet Lance’s hair and ears until he couldn’t help but purr. He’d kissed her cheek and known that everything was okay. After that, he was even more forthcoming with his affections than usual (but neither Allura nor Shiro had any problem with that). 

Their lives were infinitely better with Lance with them.


	39. Keith/Lance - Magical

Lance liked to think he generally made some really smart decisions. He was good around the home, especially when it came to child care and bath time and cleaning. He was the perfect hair-braider and could paint nails better than his mother, much to her affectionate chagrin. He was also good at flying, just like how his father had taught him, and he could control his water magic just as well as his older siblings could.

One thing he was not good at, however, was avoiding humans.

Or one certain human, anyway.

It wasn’t like he was putting his family or his species in danger by telling Keith about him. Really, it hadn’t even happened that way – he hadn’t wanted Keith to find out, no matter what anyone believed. It had been an accident, completely and totally. 

All faeries knew that revealing their species was the biggest rule one could ever break. Faeries were constantly being hunted down by poachers who wanted to use their wings for medicine, uncaring that removing a faerie’s wings would kill them. While faeries could disguise themselves and live peacefully with humans, they were never to share their secrets, or reveal themselves for what they were. Doing so endangered not only themselves and their families, but all of the faeries, too.

Despite that, Keith knew.

Lance had known Keith for a while before he found out. They hadn’t liked each other at first, but somewhere along the line that had changed, and they’d gotten along well enough for a while. Lance had come to terms with the fact that his animosity towards Keith was built on jealousy, and quite a bit of anguish from an unrequited crush. He knew that Keith would never like him, that Lance wasn’t a likeable person, not in that sense. He’d gotten over it. He’d contented himself with being Keith’s friend, or whatever they were.

Until the storm had happened.

One thing every faerie knew was that the weather was imbued with magic. Everything the Earth produced, everything that the sun nourished, was magic. For a water faerie like Lance, that meant his magic expanded like a rapidly filling balloon when he came into contact with water. Now that he was older, it was mostly a voluntary reaction; one he could control. Purified lakes and forest springs invigorated him like nothing else ever could.

Except maybe storms overflowing with magic energy. It was a rare occurrence for a storm to be filled with so much magic – the combination of rain and air and whatever else a storm decided to pack in its bags always laid thick magic over faeries. Storms were powerful things, and to faeries, they were often sacred. Storms were given names, were predicted months in advance, were times when magic could be harvested in great amounts.

Consequently, they were also times when poachers crawled out of their mangy holes like a swarm of cockroaches. 

The storm that hit them that fateful afternoon was a big, unexpected one. The unexpected ones were always the worst, because for a young faerie like Lance, it often meant they were at risk of being overwhelmed by wild magic. The moment the rain had fell on his skin, he knew he was in trouble. He could hide his wings when he was in control of his magic, but the storm washed away that control like it was made of paper. 

He’d only just managed to make it to the forest before his wings sprouted free through his school shirt. It had been a hot, muggy day, something typical for summer. Everyone at school wore the least amount of clothes they could get away with, and that meant that everyone was wearing the white button-downs standard for the uniform. Even Keith had forgone the fingerless gloves he always wore.

There’d been no time to hide his wings. Magic crawled through Lance’s veins like a living force, sending him sprawling to the floor with less grace than a newborn deer. He’d been walking home with Keith before he’d suddenly sprinted for the trees, and Keith had followed. He’d seen everything that Lance didn’t want him to see.

But he hadn’t reacted like Lance feared he would. Keith had been shocked – who wouldn’t have been, so see their friend suddenly sprout translucent wings from their back? – but the surprise had worn off quickly enough. He’d hauled Lance up by the arms and forced them both deeper into the woods, seeking shelter beneath a large tree with thick, tangled branches. 

Moving exhausted Lance, and frightened and tired, he’d collapsed to the ground to catch his breath. There was nothing he could’ve done about his wings then, nothing that could hide them or rid them from Keith’s memory. He could feel Keith watching them; staring. 

Still, Keith was full of surprise. 

Instead of reacting like any other human would have, he’d dug his spare jumped out from his bag and carefully dried off Lance’s wings. They were thin and delicate, speared through with glowing blue lines that marked out translucent shapes, much like a butterfly’s wings. There was no way to move them when they were heavy with water, like they had been.

“People always say that storms affect faeries,” Keith had murmured. His voice had been soft and open, not accusatory in the slightest. He’d sounded unsure of himself, unsure of the words he spoke.

“It’s a strong storm,” Lance muttered, his face pressed to his knees. 

It had taken a while for his magic to settle. It crackled under his skin like static, making his hair stand on end, and his skin break out in shivers. His father had always been the one to help him dispel extra magic, and he couldn’t do it on his own. He’d have to wait until the storm was done before seeking help at him.

Keith had stayed with him until the rain let up. He’d walked Lance all the way home – seeing Lance’s house for the first time, where it was nestled along a street that was more forest than suburb. He’d also let Lance keep his jacket, just so Lance had something to occupy his hands while his wings finished drying. Keith hadn’t cared that Lance’s parents had been aghast at his appearance in their home, or the way he was with their son. 

Somehow, Lance hoped that their non-aggressive reactions to Keith knowing their secret was because they knew that Keith wouldn’t share it.

And he never did. He kept the secret better than Lance did, and became a constant fixture at Lance’s side. It had startled Lance at first, who was unused to receiving so much of Keith’s fierce focus. There was something in the way Keith looked at him, something that made him rethink what he thought he knew about him.

Keith confessed that he liked Lance far before Lance ever had the courage to do the same. When Lance had asked him why, flustered and vulnerable and hopeful, Keith had only given him a wry, honest smile, the kind that hid nervous, enduring affection.

“I always knew there was something magical about you.”


	40. Keith/Lance/Shiro - Coddle

When his omega got into a baking mood, Shiro knew to steer clear.

There were only a few things that could get Lance in a mood to out-bake a bakery. Anger was one of them – when he was frustrated with his mates, he’d kick Shiro out of the kitchen and bake sweets for hours, until he was tired and ready to forgive them. They’d all figured out ways to deal with anger that didn’t involve taking it out on one another, and baking was Lance’s go-to. He did it when he was stressed, as well. During his last round of exams, they’d had so many cookies and cupcakes and biscuits stacked in their house that they’d run out of containers to store them, and their friends no longer wanted any more.

As it turned out, Lance also excessively baked while pregnant.

Shiro like to think he was good at pushing away his dominant, alpha instincts. Everything in him screamed to wrap Lance up and hide him away, to protect his omega mate and his unborn child, to keep them hidden and shielded from the world. When they’d found out Lance was pregnant, he’d been obsessed with coddling Lance. He’d carried Lance up and down the stairs in their house, brought him his meals, brushed his hair for him. When he’d tried to cut Lance’s steak for him, Lance had finally put his foot down.

There would be no more coddling.

That went for Keith, too. After a few days of frustrated, anxious silence, Shiro had worked through his issues. He’d been in touch with his alpha instinct for longer than Keith, and was better at controlling them. His older age gave him more experience, and he was bigger and stronger than Keith, which meant he could hold Keith back if need be. He was their top alpha, the one most in charge of protecting their family unit. If his omega demanded they stop their coddling, then they’d have to stop… within reason. 

It wasn’t like Lance didn’t want to be pampered at all. He liked being tucked into bed and having his hair brushed, and he liked it when his mates brought him cups of honey tea and when they rubbed his shoulders and feet. But it all had to be done in moderation – he was pregnant, not invalid. He could look after himself, and he knew his body’s limits better than either one of them did. After taking time to cool off, Shiro could see reason. He could tell Lance was in the right, and that they’d been smothering him. Their concern was honest and heartfelt, but misplaced.

Trying to convince Keith that took a lot more effort.

“Is Lance baking?” Shiro asked, as he arrived home that afternoon. Usually Lance took one – or both – of his alphas to do the grocery shopping for the week. Lance and Shiro were the ones in charge of cooking, even if Shiro did most of the cooking himself (Lance was more of a baker). Meal planning was Lance’s real strong suit, and he was picky with his food, so the alphas let him choose what he wanted. He was obsessed with being healthy, and hated artificial products, so he wrote the grocery list and monitored their food intake. This week, however, Lance had woken up with an uneasy stomach, so Shiro had gone on his own after being lectured on exactly what products to buy.

“Yes,” Keith groused, as he took helped Shiro carry the groceries in. They set the bags down by the kitchen doorway, knowing that Lance would hiss and snap at them if they dared enter.

“Why is he baking? Is he upset?”

Keith’s scowl deepened. “I upset him.”

Shiro let out a long sigh. He’d left Keith in charge of their pregnant mate while they were gone, but all that meant was that he was to make sure Lance didn’t do anything crazy. It meant Keith was just meant to encourage him to eat, if he could stomach it, and to refill his ginger tea if his stomach started to act up again. It didn’t mean he was meant to upset their mate, however he’d managed to do it this time.

“Come here,” Shiro said, holding out an arm. Keith knew better than to argue with his top alpha, so he slunk into Shiro’s arms, likely expecting punishment. Instead, Shiro held him close, and cradled the back of his head with one large hand. “I’m not going to punish you for slipping up,” he murmured into Keith’s hair, when he felt Keith tense. “I know you’re unsure of Lance’s boundaries, and that you just want to keep him safe. I’ll sort all this out, alright?”

Slowly but surely, Keith’s scowl lessened, and he relaxed against Shiro’s chest. “Okay,” he mumbled.

Shiro pet his hair gently. He knew how hard it was for Keith to hold himself back. He was trying so hard to please Lance, to push aside the instincts that demanded he care for his pregnant omega. Shiro thought he was doing well, and that it was just going to take some time for Keith to realise that Lance wasn’t in any immediate danger.

Besides, this was their first child. He’d expected something like this when they decided to try for a baby. None of them had any idea how Lance’s pregnancy was going to affect them, but he knew they’d be alright. It was all about navigating around arguments, instead of ploughing right through them. They’d get better at it.

“Right.” Shiro gently urged Keith away. “How about you go do something useful, hmm? I’ll sort Lance out.”

Keith nodded. “I’ll change the bed sheets.”

Satisfied, Shiro heaved up the groceries, and entered the kitchen. There was a mess of flour and melted chocolate over the counter, and the scent of sugar was heavy in the air. Lance was wearing his favourite blue apron, though it was tied somewhat awkwardly around his baby bump. His sleeves were rolled up, his tongue poking out in concentration as he mixed what looked like cookie batter. 

“I see you’ve been baking,” Shiro said, to catch his omega’s attention.

Lance only hummed. He clearly wasn’t interested in talking, but Shiro wasn’t going to have that. He put away any groceries that were at risk of melting or going off, and then grabbed his omega by the hips, guiding Lance away from the counter top.

“Tell me what happened,” he urged, as he put his nose to Lance’s hair, breathing in his scent. He couldn’t smell any injuries on his mate, not that he expected any, but it made his ruffled instincts settle down a little bit.

“Keith wouldn’t let me come down the stairs on my own,” Lance said, frowning furiously. He batted at Shiro’s hands, trying to get the alpha to release him, but Shiro held on tight. “I said I didn’t want to be smothered!”

Shiro paused, thinking through what had happened that morning. Lance had lurched awake so suddenly that Shiro had almost fallen out of their bed, and by the time he’d realised what was going on, his omega had dashed to the bathroom to throw up whatever was in his stomach. Morning sickness had hit him hard and fast, and it often left him dizzy and disorientated. Shiro had once found Lance passed out on the cold bathroom tiles, and he’d never felt so frightened for his omega in his life. 

He knew that Keith had been really frightened as well.

“Did he try to carry you, or just follow you?” Shiro asked.

“I wouldn’t let him carry me even if he wanted to,” Lance huffed.

“That’s not what I asked.”

Lance paused, and shifted his weight between his feet. “He didn’t want to carry me,” he muttered. “He wanted to go down the stairs in front of me.”

Shiro mulled over the information. He’d been at the shops by the time his mates descended from their bedroom; they’d tried to let Lance sleep more after his rough morning, but he doubted Lance got much rest. Even now he could see the dark bags under Lance’s eyes. 

He sighed. “I think you should have let him, Lance,” he finally said.

Lance turned his stormy gaze to Shiro, clearly unhappy. “I’m not an invalid!”

“I know,” Shiro assured him. He pet Lance’s hip with a hand, and waited for Lance to settle before he continued. “But you were sick this morning, sweetheart. You know that morning sickness makes you dizzy.”

“I didn’t feel dizzy.”

“Doesn’t mean you weren’t,” Shiro said gently. “What if you’d been hit with a dizzy spell when going down the stairs? If Keith was in front of you, he could have caught you, if that happened.”

“But it didn’t happen.”

“I know, and I’m very relieved it didn’t. But he was trying to compromise with you, Lance. We both know he wanted to carry you down those stairs.”

The harsh look on Lance’s face began to fade. He shifted again, looking restless, and then sighed. “I didn’t meant to shout at him, but I did,” he mumbled. “I shouted at him when he wouldn’t let me go down the stairs. I said he was being a bad alpha.”

Shiro closed his eyes briefly, but kissed Lance’s forehead. “I know you didn’t mean it.”

“I really didn’t,” Lance whimpered, one hand falling to his baby bump. “Keith is a good alpha. You both are. The best alphas I could have ever wanted.”

Shiro kissed Lance’s forehead again. “It’s alright, Lance. I know it’s hard for you, and it’s hard for us. As an alpha I want to coddle you and make sure you never move, but as a person I know that’s overbearing. I know you can care for yourself and that you don’t need us hovering, but I don’t want to lose any connections with you because you’re pushing us away for being affectionate. We need to find a good middle ground.”

Lance nodded in agreement.

“The only reason Keith was being protective this morning was because you were sick,” Shiro said. “Remember yesterday? You weren’t sick at all, and he didn’t even blink twice when you went down the stairs before him.”

Lance snorted, looking amused. “Yeah, he just rolled over and went back to sleep.”

Shiro smiled. “Exactly. He’s getting better at holding back his instincts. He’s only worried that his mate was sick and could have hurt himself. Without me around, he feels an incredible amount of responsibility to keep you safe.”

“I know,” Lance whispered softly. 

“Don’t feel bad for wanting to be independent,” Shiro reminded him. “I appreciate it when you tell us we’re being too overbearing. I’d rather you tell us so we can learn when to hold back, and when to coddle you. I think this was just a misunderstanding.”

Lance nodded. “At least it’s a delicious misunderstanding,” he said, smiling weakly as he gestured to all his baked goods.

Shiro laughed. “That’s true. Why don’t you go see where Keith is, hmm? I think he could use a little bit of love.”

Lance nodded again. “I want to apologise to him. He’s a good alpha and I want him to know that. Plus I made his favourite biscuits,” he added bashfully.

“Off you go, then.” Shiro watched, fond, as Lance undid his apron and went to go find Keith. He followed Lance to the bottom of the stairs to listen in on their conversation, just to make sure it didn’t blow up again. He knew they knew he was listening, but that never stopped any of them from expressing their true feelings. 

He could hear Keith apologising for being too protective, and Lance apologising for what he’d said, and reassuring Keith that he was the best alpha an omega could want. They came to the agreement that Keith was allowed to accompany Lance down the stairs when he was sick, and Lance even informed him that he’d feel better if Keith could hold his hand while they did that (which Shiro knew Lance said just for Keith’s benefit; it really made his heart warm to know his mates so in love). They talked about how they’d felt that morning and made up with sweet kisses while Shiro returned to put away the rest of the groceries.

They might’ve been a little unsteady sometimes, him and his mates, but he knew they’d be alright. The baby had all of them excited and nervous and eager, and in the end, all this trouble would be well worth it.

As long as his mates and his baby were happy and healthy, Shiro couldn’t ask for anything more.


	41. Lance/Shiro - Sick

Lance didn’t normally get sick. He was a pretty healthy guy, and he generally ate well, and exercised as frequently as he could get himself to. He was up to date with all of his shots and he wasn’t deficient in any of his vitamins. 

Still, sometimes even healthy people got sick. Lance was sure it was just a common cold that had him down, so he wasn’t too worried. 

His boyfriend, however, was very worried indeed.

“Shiro, just let me sleep,” Lance moaned, as he weakly batted Shiro’s hovering hands away. He was curled up in their big bed, hogging all the sheets to himself, like he’d been doing all night. He’d been sniffily the day before, and had known he was getting sick even before he’d woken up with a pounding headache and a sore throat early that morning.

“Just let me take your temperature again Lance, please,” Shiro pleaded. He took an excessively careful seat on the edge of the bed and urged Lance to take the thermometer back under his tongue, his fingertips tilting Lance’s chin up. “It’ll only take a moment, promise.”

Lance sighed, but took the thermometer. He closed his eyes and sunk into the soft pillows as Shiro gently rubbed his fingers through Lance’s hair. The motion was soothing, and made his wakefulness flag. The need to get up and shower, to make something of the day, was drifting away from him. There was no way Shiro hadn’t planned to keep Lance in bed by any means necessary. This was the first time Lance had gotten sick in the three years they’d been together, besides for the odd cough or headache, so he understood that Shiro was worried.

Still, the obsessive, mother-hen attitude was a surprise. Shiro seemed genuinely concerned that Lance was going to pass out and die on him.

“It’s just a cold,” Lance murmured, once the thermometer had beeped and Shiro had taken it back. “I don’t even have a fever, do I?”

“No,” Shiro admitted, sounding relieved. He set the thermometer aside on the bedside table and pressed his palm to Lance’s forehead anyway, like he didn’t trust the reading. “You don’t feel warm. Are you certain you don’t want to stay in bed today? I’m sure I can handle the washing on my own.”

Lance sighed again. “I’m just going to sleep all day,” he conceded. It would probably do him the world of good if he took a day to relax and chase off this cold. If it would put Shiro’s worried heart at ease, then he’d try his best to recover as quickly as he could. 

“Alright.” Shiro bent down to press a sweet kiss to Lance’s forehead. He brushed hair away from Lance’s eyes, and fussed with the blankets for a moment, making sure Lance was properly tucked him. “I’ll go get you a glass of water and some painkillers, you just stay here and rest.”

“Okay.” Lance nestled further into the pillows, glad that he’d travelled to Shiro’s side of the bed some time that morning. Shiro’s pillows always smelt so strongly of him, of his subtle shampoo and the cologne he liked to wear most often. It was a scent that was uniquely his, and it made Lance squirm in the best way possible.

He was fast asleep by the time Shiro returned.


	42. Keith/Lance - Nervous

Lance’s family had always celebrated Christmas. He had a lot of siblings, and a lot of cousins, many of whom were younger than him, so Christmas was a big affair. Sometimes there were more strands of sparkly tinsel hanging from every surface than there were family members, and pretty much everyone had an ugly Christmas shirt or sweater. Every year they seemed to grow uglier, though that was the point.

But he wasn’t complaining, not really. He loved all of his family’s quirky traditions. Christmas was his favourite holiday for a lot of reasons – seeing all his family, getting gifts, the great food. Plus mistletoe kisses were the best, and only truly authentic when Christmas was near.

Though perhaps that had something to do with his boyfriend. He’d only spent one Christmas with Keith before, so mistletoe kisses were something relatively new for him. Last Christmas had been a new time for their relationship, a time when they’d only been together for a handful of weeks, tentative and unsure of boundaries. No one had known about them back then, only the two of them.

It was different this year, though. His immediate family knew about Keith, but they hadn’t really met him. He’d had dinner with them once or twice, so his parents and siblings were familiar with Keith, but the rest of the extended family had only heard rumours of his boyfriend. He was a little worried about Keith when it came to meeting the family, though. He’d struggled with Lance’s crazy siblings and sweet but overbearing parents, but had gotten used to them after a while. The entire family though, on a day as messy as Christmas?

But Keith seemed keen to join in the festivities. At least, he seemed keen to want to join in. He wasn’t good at socialising, and crowds made him intensely nervous. His parents weren’t often home for Christmas, so he was usually alone with Shiro, just the two of them. Being with Lance’s extensive family was definitely going to be an abrupt change.

“Are you sure you’re going to be alright?” Lance asked Keith, as he drove them towards his home. He’d spent the morning having breakfast and opening presents with his immediate family, while Keith was with Shiro. 

“I’ll be fine,” Keith said, but he didn’t sound convinced. He pulled at the neckline of the ugly sweater Lance had let him borrow. It was one of his more subtle ones, but still ridiculous, and completely unlike anything Keith would ever choose to wear. “Is this really necessary…?”

“Totally.” Lance nodded. “You’ll stand out more if you don’t wear it.”

Keith sighed, and sunk into the passenger seat. He fiddled with his fingers, rubbing his index finger and thumb together on one hand. “What if… what if your family doesn’t like me?”

“Impossible,” Lance stated. “They’re going to like you more than they like me. In fact, they already do. ‘Lance’s boyfriend is gonna be so much cooler than Lance’. That’s what I’ve been dealing with for the past month.”

Keith snorted, amused. “They’re going to be let down when I’m boring.”

“You are far from boring,” Lance protested. “But if you’re really worried… I can always create a distraction.”

Keith raised a brow. “A distraction?”

“Yeah. You’ll be the life of the party, as expected, but if there’s something else to distract the horde of children, then we’ll both be left alone,” Lance said, grinning. 

That earned a laugh from Keith. He settled his restless hands on his knees. “A distraction sounds good.”

“I’m sure I can manage to make one.”

“Oh, I have no doubt about that.” 

Lance laughed, too. He had no doubt that his family were going to enjoy having Keith over for Christmas, and if causing a minor disaster to distract them after they’d monopolised Keith’s attention for too long was what Keith wanted, then Lance was definitely up to the challenge. 

His family were going to just adore Keith.

But not as much as Lance did.


	43. Lance/Shiro - Favouritism

Shiro was desperate to go home.

If it hadn’t been an emergency, then he wouldn’t have even thought about going into work on Christmas Eve. All of his workmates knew about his home situation, and knew that he was incredibly reluctant to leave his pregnant mate alone. It was the holidays, and he’d taken heaps of time off so he could be with Lance. 

Leaving him, and on Christmas Eve no less, really frustrated Shiro. It was well into the evening before he was finally free to leave, and snow had already turned the world outside into a silent, anticipating thing, one that hungered for festivities soon to come. He couldn’t help but pause on his way to his car, taking in a deep breath of cold air before letting it out in one quick sigh. Frost drifted from his parted lips. 

Thoughts of his mate didn’t let him linger long. 

When he arrived home, snow was falling in cold, even bursts. He could have moaned with relief when he stepped inside the front door. It was so warm and cosy that he shrugged out of his outer jacket and thick, woollen scarf without feeling even a pinch of cold. 

He heard his mate humming before he found him. Something unsettled and restless in Shiro eased away, comforted by the knowledge that his pregnant omega was safe and unharmed. As Lance came closer and closer to his due date, Shiro’s overprotective instincts started mounting, insisting that he protect his mate every minute of every day. It was irrational, of course, and he didn’t often give in to his overbearing instincts, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t relieved when he found Lance safe and sound.

Lance was in the lounge room, and had the fireplace roaring. The lights were set low, leaving him cast in a warm, orange light. He’d left the coloured lights wrapped around their Christmas tree on, and was kneeling in front of it, resting comfortably on his thighs. A pile of wrapped presents were hiding under the lower branches on the tree, some Shiro hadn’t seen, other he knew he’d hidden where he thought Lance wouldn’t find them.

For a moment, Shiro let himself take in the pretty sight his mate made. Lance was wearing comfortable pyjamas, and had a thin robe on over the top, one that was parted around his belly. His shirt was stretched over the baby bump, and he had his hands resting on the widest part, like he was cradling their baby. He was humming to himself, a sweet, quiet lullaby he’d made up months ago. Only he knew the words, knew the tune. Shiro was content to do nothing more than listen and enjoy it, knowing Lance’s lullaby was for him and their child.

“You weren’t meant to find those presents yet,” Shiro said, as he entered the room, making himself known. He lowered himself down to sit beside Lance on the floor, and covered one of Lance’s hands and with his own, reassured by the closeness of his unborn child. 

Lance gave him a bashful, flushed grin. “I was curious. You hid them well this year.”

Shiro laughed quietly, and pressed his nose against Lance’s neck, breathing in his scent. Every year he strove to hide his wrapped presents from Lance, and every year Lance found them. He thought that perhaps this year Lance wouldn’t find them, but he’d been wrong. “I’ve learned to wrap them early.”

Lance returned his affectionate nuzzling. “Baby helped me find them,” he declared. “We make a good team.”

Shiro slipped his arms low around Lance’s waist and found room on his rounded stomach for his hands. After a quiet moment of waiting, he felt the faintest nudge under his palm, and all but purred with satisfaction. 

“Still feels weird when they do that,” Lance whined. “How come they only kick when you’re around? It’s blatant favouritism.”

Shiro laughed again. “I beg to disagree. Our sweet baby gets to be with you twenty-four seven, so they’re only assuring me that they love me, too. After all, they clearly favour you, love. Who wouldn’t?”

Lance snorted, amused. He leaned against Shiro’s side and yawned so widely it looked like his jaw was going to come unhinged.

“You were alright today?” Shiro asked, as he carefully surveyed his mate. 

“Perfectly fine,” Lance said. He tucked his head under Shiro’s chin. “Missed you, though. We both did.”

Shiro barely suppressed a sigh. He kissed Lance’s cheek, and scented his hair, covering Lance in his scent. It made his alpha instincts proud to have his mate smell like him. Hopefully there would be no more emergencies that required him to come into work, or anything that couldn’t be dealt with over the phone. He’d be able to stay with Lance until he gave birth as long as nothing disrupted them.

“I love you,” Shiro murmured, as he felt his child kick again. It really was like they were telling him that they were okay, and that they were glad to have him near. He never wanted to be parted from his mate again.

Lance started to purr quietly, smiling to himself as he pressed closer. “I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Christmas Eve ❤


	44. Keith/Lance - Christmas

This was their first Christmas together. Lance wanted everything to be perfect, but knowing them, nothing would be. He went into it expecting disaster, and loved the experience all the more for it. 

He and Keith had been together for almost a year now. They’d gotten together in early January, though they’d been dancing around their feelings for a long time before that. It felt like nothing changed between them, after they “officially” started dating. Maybe that was because they kept their relationship a secret for a while, or because they were already spending so much time together as friends, he didn’t know. The only real difference was now they held hands and slept in the same bed and kissed each other. A lot.

Lance knew he was a little overenthusiastic when it came to Christmas, but it was a big deal with his family, and it was his first proper Christmas as Keith’s boyfriend. He wanted them to do every cheesy, romantic, couples thing they could possibly do. And, for once, Keith didn’t protest. He liked to act embarrassed and put out and grumpy, but if he really didn’t want to do something, then he would tell Lance straight up. He actually wanted to do the cheesy, romantic things, too.

Even if he wouldn’t admit it.

They started with ice-skating. There was a local rink that loved to decorate itself with as much Christmas fanfare as it could. Tinsel lined the rink walls, and little Christmas-themed stickers were plastered all over the skates. There were wreaths hanging from the walls and paper snowflakes hanging from the ceilings and a big, heavily decorated tree in the foyer. 

Lance couldn’t skate that well, but he certainly could skate better than Keith. He’d never seen Keith so shaky at the knees as he was when Lance held his hands and tried to encourage him away from the rink wall. He had a tight grip around Lance’s fingers, squeezing so hard Lance feared he would be bruised. Not only was it hilarious to see Keith so unbalanced, but it made him feel like some sort of knight in shining armour, too. 

They fell over a lot that day. When Keith went down, which he did quite frequently, he made sure to drag Lance with him. They ended up covered in ice shavings, their limbs a tangled mess, faces flushed from both exertion and laughter. It was a fun, disaster filled date, and a perfect way to get into the Christmas spirit.

The next day, they tried baking. Lance’s family was big on cooking, and there was always enough leftovers to feed another entire family once the evening was over. Lance liked cooking because it was something he always did with his parents, even if he wasn’t spectacular at it. Baking was a lot more enjoyable, and easier when they bought box mixes.

Still, half of their cookies ended up a little on the crispy side. Lance and Keith competed to see who could make the nicer cookie – they had a bunch of differently shaped cookie cutters, and all these little edible decorations, like chocolate chips and sprinkles and edible glitter. Not only did they end up a mess, but all of their cookies melted together into one, unrecognisable shape. It was a cookie monstrosity.

But it was quite delicious.

Lance’s family had put up their Christmas tree at the beginning of December. They had an endless supply of decorations, some that had belonged to his parents, and his grandparents, and his great-grandparents. Lance knew the decorations by heart, and they felt as familiar to him as his family did. They were an important part of the McClain family Christmas experience.

Keith, however, had no tree. 

To be fair, Keith’s apartment didn’t have much space. He shared it with Shiro, who was like his older brother, though Shiro usually stayed at his girlfriend’s house. For the most part, Keith stayed with Lance if he was lonely. When Lance stayed with him, he was so tuckered out by the festivities at home that he didn’t notice the lack of tree at Keith’s apartment. There was tinsel hanging from the edge of the kitchen bench and Christmas cards standing on the coffee table, so it wasn’t like there was nothing.

But there wasn’t a tree.

Lance set to fixing that immediately.

Since he had a large family, it wasn’t hard to find a spare tree. His cousin’s girlfriend had one she didn’t need anymore; a small synthetic one, less than a metre tall. Perfect for the empty corner in Keith’s living room.

They spent an afternoon decorating it, after buying some decorations of course. Keith liked red and Lance liked blue so their little tree was mostly those colours. Lance brought spare tinsel from home, and a bunch of coloured construction paper and felt, so they could make their own decorations too. They cut out stars and trees and gingerbread men to tie to the tree branches with loops of sparkly pipe-cleaners. 

It looked cheap (because it was, aside from the pretty red and blue baubles they bought, and the star for the top of the tree) but Lance adored it. The tree was a mix of both of them, and it was something uniquely festive. Something only they had. When he put the star on top, after Keith’s insistence that he do it, they sat on their couch and looked at their little tree and felt deliriously happy.

The day before Christmas, they sat down together to wrap everyone’s gifts. They’d spilt a lot of the gifts this year, going shopping to choose together and pay together. They had gifts for all their friends (Pidge and their brother Matt, Hunk, Shiro, Shiro’s girlfriend Allura, her uncle Coran who was like a mentor to them all) and their family (Lance’s parents, as well as Lance’s personal gifts for his siblings, Keith’s parents, and then boxes of chocolate and a card for Pidge and Hunk’s parents, for putting up with their antics all year).

Neither Lance nor Keith were any good at wrapping gifts. In fact, they were quite rubbish at it. They couldn’t tie a bow, so they didn’t bother with ribbon. Just using wrapping paper was a difficult enough challenge.

In the end, their pile of gifts were wrapped, but it wasn’t very pretty. Lance liked to think that the Christmas tape they’d bought distracted from the lumpy wrapping paper, but Keith had snorted when he’d said that, looking both harrowed and amused. He clearly didn’t like wrapping gifts. They probably should have just bought gift bags. 

But he enjoyed it. He was with Keith, so he was endlessly happy. He loved every moment leading up to Christmas, and was sure he was going to be just as happy on the actual day, too. There was nothing better than cuddling up with his boyfriend at the end of the day with something as fun as Christmas to look forwards to. Especially when he knew there was going to be some strategically placed mistletoe waiting for them.

This was set to be the best Christmas yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas! ❤


	45. Keith/Lance/Shiro - Top

Lance liked to think he had a pretty good grip on his instincts. His mother and father had raised him not to be a fussy, picky omega, and to highly value the virtue of self-control. He knew when to submit if he was in the wrong, and when to stand up for himself if he knew he was right. He tried not to whine too much, but neither one of his alphas seemed to mind that little behaviour.

Speaking of his alphas, Lance couldn’t help but glance over at them. It was a cold day, so everyone was rugged up indoors. He’d known Keith and Shiro for ages, but their relationship was a new thing. He hadn’t had his first heat with them yet, but it was approaching. Heats and ruts were very instinctual times, no matter how tight a grip he had on himself. It meant that his alphas needed to establish a hierarchy of sorts – they needed to decide who the more dominant one was. It felt like a bit of an outdated thing, but having a hierarchy stopped fights from breaking out, and meant that there would always be one alpha looking after everyone, not just the omega.

Secretly, Lance thought he knew who the more dominant mate was. Shiro was older, stronger, and more experienced. His temperament was less combative than Keith’s, and he’d been smoothing over their arguments for ages, even before they mated. It wasn’t like Lance didn’t trust Keith, because he did. But when it really came down to it, Shiro was the one who was most capable of caring for the both of them, even when stuck in a middle of a heat or rut.

The two of them were trying to establish their dominance before Lance’s heat hit. It looked ridiculous to him, but he wasn’t an alpha, so he couldn’t fully understand what provoked their alpha instincts. While Lance relaxed on the couch, Keith and Shiro wrestled on the floor. It didn’t involve anything reckless, and was more like rolling around and pinning each other down. Simulating a fight would help bring out their instincts.

So far, all it had done was amuse Lance.

“Maybe you’ve already decided,” he said, as he lifted his tea to his lips. “Maybe you already know who the top dominant is.”

The comment made Keith frown, but Shiro looked like he’d been thinking the same thing. He had Keith pinned to the carpet, and it didn’t seem like it too much work to get him there. 

It’s not like Keith was the weaker or less favourable alpha of the two. Lance loved them both the same, and knew they both had their strengths and weaknesses. It really came down to personality traits, and experience. Keith was hot-headed, and Lance loved that part of him, the part that was competitive and unafraid to treat Lance roughly even though he’s an omega. But being hot-headed wouldn’t be good when they’re all mindless with heat, when they need someone to direct them, to make sure they were eating and drinking and nothing was going wrong.

“Maybe he’s right,” Shiro said, his voice careful.

Keith huffed, and wrangled Shiro to the floor, pinning his arms down. Shiro let him, one eyebrow raised. Keith seemed to know that he’d submitted to Shiro at some point in their relationship, but just didn’t want to admit it to himself. It wasn’t an uncommon occurrence. At first he’d seemed disappointed or ashamed of himself, but now it seemed more like he’d accepted it, and was simply putting up a fight just because he could. 

Already pushing Shiro’s boundaries.

Shiro didn’t seem to mind. He let Keith have his moment, then flipped them over with ease, and held Keith down. It made Lance laugh quietly.

He wasn’t worried about his heat at all. He knew he had two alphas who would care for him and for each other, and who’d make sure he was okay. What else was there to possibly worry about?


	46. Keith/Lance - Nightlight

As the second in line to the Kingdom of Night, Lance was required to attend the Meeting of the Courts, when each light cycle sent its royals to gather during the solstice. There were only two meetings a year, but both were incredibly important, so as soon as he was of age he was sent along with his sister, Allura, to oversee the meetings.

The first year, it had been riveting. Now, decades later, Lance was bored of it. He would have much preferred to be back in the Night Court, spending his days arranging constellations in the sky and moving the mesmerizing tides back and forth. The Night Court was a demure, shadowy place, with only the light from their glowing moon and the stars to show the way, but Lance wouldn’t have changed any of it for the world. If anything ever happened to Allura, and he prayed it never did, then the entirety of Night Court would be his. 

He didn’t like thinking about that. Lance had only been newly born when the last Moon – Allura’s father, Alfor – had gone out. It was a terrible, mournful thing to lose ones light, and the entire Night Court had mourned for more than a decade before Allura’s glow had been bright enough to lighten their weary hearts. Now the Nightlights – the citizens – followed Allura’s confident lead. 

The Meeting of the Courts was something every royal and their entourage was required to attend. That meant Lance had to go, as well as their advisor, Coran, and a troupe of their strongest guardians. It was unlikely that the other Courts would make a move against them, but the guards were necessary, especially when the two royals of the Night Court left the safe confines of their realm.

They were joined at the Court by the entourage from the Day Court, from the Dusk Court, and from the Dawn Court. Night and Day were the strongest of the four, but Dawn and Dusk were the better mediators, if only because they bridged the gaps between the moon and the sun. 

Now, Lance didn’t really have a problem with the other courts. Dawn and Dusk didn’t have royals, but they had nobles, who were the same in everything but name. Dawn was led by a friendly, companionable man named Hunk, and Dusk was led by a reclusive, but outspoken Pidge, who had temporarily taken over the role in place of their more energetic, older brother Matt. Lance got along with them well, and enjoyed their company.

The Day Court was a little more complicated.

Generally, Daylights – the Day Court citizens – were friendly people. Lance didn’t meet them often, as their courts never occupied the same sky, but they showed up for the solstice meetings every year. The Day Court was let by a stoic, but companionable man named Shiro. He’d been ruling for a little longer than Allura, but his past was fraught with tragedy. He’d lost his arm and been terribly scarred across the face after being captured by the Galra: the Light-Eaters. They consumed all they conquered, tearing continents to shreds and enslaving the people. 

Their darkness was different to the cool, soothing night that Nightlights brought. The Night Court balanced Day; they healed the harsh rays of the sun, and stirred the sea, bringing life to the land and the waves alike. Nightlights turned the moon, marking time for the living, and created countless constellations to guide the lost on their journeys. They did not destroy. They did not consume. They did not harm.

The Galra did.

Shiro lived through their siege on Day, and restored his Court to all its splendour. That had been several decades ago now, but rumours of weakness in Day still continued to circulate. Lance had admired Shiro since he’d first seen him all those years ago at the first meeting he attended. Shiro was a hero, wasn’t he? He saved Day. He lived.

But many believed he was infected by the Galra. Perhaps it was the Galra-made prosthetic he had for an arm, or the scars that made others see weakness in him. Lance – and Allura, for that matter – knew there was no weakness to be found in Shiro. He wasn’t fading, no matter what anyone said.

Rumours, however, were persistent things.

That’s why Shiro brought his younger brother to this year’s first meeting. Lance had never met him before, despite attending the meetings for years. Keith was the second in line to the Kingdom of Day, but looked like he wanted to be anywhere else. He had the same fire in his eyes that all Daylights had, but there was something more to it. Something more aggressive, something wilder. 

Lance wouldn’t say he liked Keith. Was he attractive? Sure, that was easy enough to admit. But like him? No way. Definitely not. Lance didn’t go falling for people he couldn’t have, no thank you. Everyone knew that Daylights and Nightlights couldn’t cross realms, it was unsafe. There was too much sun in the Day Court, and not enough in the Night Court. 

Telling that to Lance’s heart was a painful experience.

For what it was worth, Allura seemed to know, and comforted him. He’d only spoken to Keith a handful of times – and had made a bigger fool of himself with every word – but he was recklessly intrigued. His curiosity knew no bounds and Keith was the most curious thing he’d ever been around. Every time they spoke, he felt like Keith was warming up to him.

And since neither one of them were Kings yet…

Maybe the moon and the sun could meet.

 

Keith had a problem. A big one. It was roughly the size and shape of a flirtatious prince from the Night Court, and while he rationally knew he should want nothing to do with it, everything ached in him to be closer.

“I don’t want to attend these meetings anymore,” he told Shiro, after the first had concluded. 

Shiro had been surprised. “Why not?”

But Keith was sure Shiro already knew, if the teasing arch in his eyebrow was anything to go by. It wasn’t Keith’s fault that he was completely enamoured with the Nightlight boy. Shiro never said anything about cute boys being at these meetings.

He was sure his life was going to become much more troublesome.


	47. Lance/Shiro - Wealthy

Lance liked Shiro’s possessive side.

He knew a lot of it was for show. They’d been together for five years now, though Shiro had been courting Lance for months before they got together. Lance had been wary around Shiro at first, and completely untrusting. What could a socially famous CEO who made at least seven figures a year want with him, a lowly barista drowning in college debt? It hadn’t made sense. 

At first, Lance hadn’t known Shiro was so wealthy. He liked to think he had an eye for expensive brands and pretty things, but what Shiro had went above and beyond even Lance’s most exuberant dreams. He’d been wearing a shirt worth more than Lance made in an entire week when Lance had accidentally spilled half a cup of lukewarm coffee all over him. He’d been terrified, partially because he spilled coffee all over a really attractive man, partially because of the dry cleaning bill coming his way, but Shiro had surprised him.

He turned out to be a very dedicated man, when he had something he wanted. He’d replaced Lance’s coffee with a fresh one in the largest size the café offered, and enjoyed it with him. He’d wanted to buy Lance food too, had insisted really, so Lance had finally relented to sharing a slide of cake with him, though he made Shiro choose the flavour. Shiro hadn’t even sent him the dry cleaning bill. Lance half thought he’d just bought a new shirt.

Lance had gotten used to Shiro’s flippant use of money since then. It had annoyed him, at first. His family was middle class and money was usually tight, and since moving out of his childhood home, Lance had been saving like crazy. 

But Shiro didn’t spend money just for the sake of it. He had a modest home, which had surprised Lance at first. It was still more than Lance could ever afford on his own, but nothing like what he’d expected. Shiro only spent what he needed, even if he did tend to choose things on the luxurious side of the scale. He had a moderate amount of clothes, just the one car, and one home (not including the one he bought for his parents to live in).

It helped that Shiro was an incredibly hard worker. He didn’t make money to be rich – he worked long and hard, and money was the by-product. He had more than he knew what to do with, so he spent it on others. The house for his parents was a good example. He donated regularly to hospitals and schools, and liked to take his loved ones on holidays and day trips. And he spoiled his dog rotten, which Lance found stupidly adorable. What man had matching bowties with his dog? Shiro did.

When they got together, Shiro showered Lance in expensive affections. He didn’t seem to know how to love someone without money involved. He always bought Lance things – or at least what he could get away with. Lance was adamant that Shiro not waste his money on him. Paying half for a meal or buying him a coffee every now and then was okay. Offering to buy him a car and pay off his student loans up front was not.

Eventually Shiro understood it. He still spent far more on Lance than Lance did on him (not that he didn’t want to, he just couldn’t afford it), and was very eager to spoil Lance every chance he got, though he respected Lance’s wishes when it came to money.

Still, sometimes it was nice to be spoilt. When Shiro came to visit Lance, he tended to stick out, but in a good way. People like his shiny car and charismatic personality. It wasn’t the same the other way around. Rich people could tell if another person wasn’t as rich as they were. 

None of that mattered to Shiro, but it certainly mattered to the people he was force to associate with. When they looked down on him, or murmured bad things about him behind his back, or even chastised Shiro for his choice in partner, Shiro always became very irritated. None of their words hurt Lance anymore, he was completely sure of Shiro’s love for him. But if dressing him up and showing Lance off made Shiro happier, then he’d let his partner do that. Shiro just loved to pick out clothes and accessories for Lance, and to walk around with his arm attached to Lance’s waist.

And besides, Shiro had great taste in clothes. He knew what made them both look best, and Lance grew to really enjoy the times he could get all dressed up. And if it made Shiro feel better, then he didn’t really mind it all that much, either.


	48. Keith/Lance - Bright

Lance was waiting for the New Year to ring itself in. Every year, his entire family gathered, or at least as many of them as they could fit into one backyard. There were buckets full of melting ice and soft drink cans, and a barbecue constantly churning out slightly charred food for people to pick at. A table laden with various kinds of salads, a basket of crunchy bread rolls, a bowl of fruit punch, and pasta of all sorts sat by the back door, and although he wasn’t hungry anymore, it looked quite tempting.

This was what he did every New Year’s Eve, though he supposed it was a little different this time. He still had Hunk and Pidge around, as they were family in everything but blood these days. But he did have Keith this year – Keith his boyfriend. That was definitely new.

After being welcomed by almost every family member, and being fawned over (because he was quite handsome, no matter what he said about himself), Keith finally settled into the typical family dynamics Lance was more than used to. Most of Lance’s aunts had already come by to greet them, and his little cousins still darted around their chairs every half an hour or so, begging them to play. 

It pleased some deep little part of Lance to see his boyfriend fit so seamlessly among his family. Sure, Keith didn’t like crowds, and he was certainly nervous around new people, but he looked like he was enjoying himself. A tiny smile had been playing in the corner of his lips since they’d settled in, and not even the slightly tipsy, boisterous laughter of Lance’s uncles and father could dissuade that smile. Lance supposed it helped that Hunk and Pidge were around, considering they’d all known each other for countless years. 

Still, he felt the need to check on Keith quite a lot. He knew Keith wouldn’t mention if he was uncomfortable unless Lance asked about him, but he knew Keith wouldn’t lie. “You doing okay?”

“Yes, Lance,” Keith said, with a slightly exaggerated sigh. “I’m fine.”

Lance gave him a sheepish smile. He stood, and wiggled his way onto Keith’s lawn chair. It was a tight fit, but Keith twisted on his side to accommodate Lance. No one blinked an eye at the seat change, but his chair was quickly conquered by an errant cousin. That was the way it went; no unguarded territory remained vacant for long.

Keith turned his face into the crook of Lance’s neck, his hand finding a comfortable, familiar place on Lance’s hip. He seemed to be thinking hard about something for a moment, and then quietly whispered, “Can I kiss you at midnight?”

Lance blinked, surprised. It wasn’t a request he’d thought Keith would ever make. Keith wasn’t that fond of public displays of affection, though he didn’t mind little things, like hand-holding and hugging. He liked putting his arm around Lance’s shoulders, and he didn’t mind it when Lance clutched at his waist. Just chaste, little things. Kissing, especially around Lance’s family, was not something Lance expected Keith to want to do.

But it wasn’t like he was going to say no.

“Of course,” he said, huffing with quiet laughter. He pressed their foreheads together, and delighted in Keith’s secret little smile. 

The new year was looking like it was going to be filled with something sweet and bright.


	49. Keith/Lance - Absence

Lance was unsure how much longer the storm would last.

Don’t get him wrong, he loved stormy weather. The rain soothed his nerves more than sunshine ever could, he loved going to sleep with the sound of thunder rattling the world outside his window. There was something deeply refreshing about the way a storm could cure the land, the way it could make everything feel reborn and new.

But it had been raining for a while – days, now. It was truly into the wet seasons, and as much as he loved knowing the world was on the edge of rebirth, there was one drawback that he couldn’t shake, no matter how hard he tried.

The stormy weather was disrupting the signal he needed to talk to his boyfriend.

Keith lived a few hours away. They’d lived closer together when they were younger, when their relationship had been friends but also maybe something a little more. Stationing from the Garrison had split them up – Keith’s older brother, Shiro, was moved, and without anyone else to stay with, Keith had had to move with him. They’d always remained closer, however, more than anyone expected. More than Lance expected too. Even more now that they were older and both he and Keith were capable of making choices for themselves.

(Lance had chosen Keith a long time ago, he thought. Before he’d left, Keith had chosen Lance too. Neither seemed like they’d ever make another choice, and the comfort of that thought alone always managed to chase away Lance’s insecurities, the ones that told him Keith would find someone better.)

Having a long-distance relationship could sometimes be frustrating, despite their affection for one another. Their time zones weren’t too different, but not having a signal made things complicated. It left Lance restless, with nothing to do until the weather cleared and he could speak to Keith like they’d planned on doing. He’d come to rely on their phone calls quite a lot.

In the end, he knew that all the effort they put into their relationship would be worth it. Keith would be able to move back in a year or so, when Shiro’s stationing was changed – they were both desperately waiting for that time to come closer. Lance had never wished he could make the time move faster more than he did then. 

He supposed absence really did make the heart grow fonder.


	50. Keith/Lance - Gentle

Lance could tell Keith was panicking.

But considering he’d been panicking for the last six months, the effect had sort of worn off. 

It wasn’t like there was much to panic about, anyway. Lance would be lying if he said he wasn’t worried or nervous or apprehensive, but he wouldn’t let himself become frantic. He was pregnant, not dying. He had countless people – his family, Keith’s family, their friends – all ready and willing to support him in any way they could, and he knew that if he needed help, there would always be someone there for him. 

He supposed that Keith’s nervousness was to be expected, though. This was their first child, and everyone knew that male omega pregnancies could be fragile, delicate things. Statistically, a male omega was more likely to lose a baby than a female, and any small bump to the belly could be detrimental to the unborn child. Keith’s instincts were demanding that he protect Lance and their child at all times, that he coddle Lance and pamper him at every waking moment.

He wasn’t, because he realistically knew Lance would be fine as long as they were careful, attentive, and made sure to listen to their doctors, but Lance could see he wanted to be more protective. Keith was always fighting against his instincts, and Lance really appreciated it. He’d heard horror stories of omegas who were treated like invalids by their alphas while pregnant, who weren’t allowed any autonomy. Keith was letting him do what he felt was right for his baby and his body, knowing Lance would be unhappy if he was smothered. Lance was really proud of him for pushing away his overbearing instincts.

Currently, they were visiting Shiro and Allura. Both were alphas, but because Keith had grown up with Shiro as his older brother in everything but blood, being around them didn’t set off Keith’s instincts, or Lance’s for that matter. They didn’t live far from each other, and since Lance had fallen pregnant, they’d taken to visiting the older couple more frequently.

It was rare for two alphas to get along as easily as Shiro and Allura did. Lance secretly thought it had something to do with Shiro’s calm demeanour, and the way he acted so reasonably under really stressful situations. Allura was much the same, even if her personality was very geared towards leadership. The two of them were able to balance their competing instincts without many arguments arising. Even if both were headstrong, confident, stubborn alphas, they knew when to let the other take the lead, and when to fall into a more supportive role.

Their son, little Alfie, was almost two years old now. Lance adored him, and had taken to spending more time around him lately. He had countless younger siblings and cousins so he was used to being around children, but he knew it would be different when he had one of his own. Spending some time with Alfie eased his worries.

“How is everything coming along?” Allura asked, as she passed Lance a bottle of water. There was tea and coffee for everyone else, but Lance knew his baby would kick up a fuss if he dared to drink any.

“Good,” Lance said, grinning up at her from where he sat on the floor, his legs stretched out in front of him. Allura took a seat on the couch behind him, watching as Alfie gently ran his toy cars across the bump of Lance’s stomach. 

“Be gentle, Alfie,” she reminded him.

“Okay, Mama,” Alfie said, without taking his eyes off his car. His little fingers were curled around Lance’s, and every now and then his tongue would peek out in concentration. He was a sweet, calm boy, and very gentle around Lance’s stomach, even without Allura’s prompting. 

“The nursery is almost finished,” Lance continued. “Keith finished putting up the crib yesterday, didn’t you babe?”

“Yeah, it’s all done,” Keith said. He and Shiro were seated at the dining table going over documents for work. Keith had taken a desk job for the duration of Lance’s pregnancy, not wanting to risk injury piloting or training cadets anymore. “We just need to furnish it.”

“We can go out and look at blankets tomorrow, right?” Lance asked.

Keith nodded.

Lance grinned at him. He knew Keith didn’t like shopping, but he refused to miss any moment of the baby experience. 

“Uncle La, look,” Alfie said, as he held up a blue car for Lance’s inspection. “Blue!”

“Yes, it is blue,” Lance agreed, smiling down at the small boy. Alfie pressed the car into his free hand, so Lance took it, and rolled it alongside Alfie’s favourite purple car across his stomach. “Who goes faster, Alfie? Blue or purple?”

Alfie giggled, his fingers tightening around Lance’s. “Purple!”

Lance gasped. “No way!” He pushed blue faster, rolling the little wheels up Alfie’s chubby arm and to his shoulder. “See? Blue is faster!”

Alfie huffed with laughter, bouncing on his knees. Lance was careful of any flailing limbs, knowing that an accidental hit to his stomach wouldn’t be good. He could tell Keith was a little apprehensive, but with both Allura and Shiro watching Alfie like a hawk, he had nothing to be worried over, and was content to sit across the room doing the paperwork with Shiro.

Absentmindedly, Lance patted a hand to his stomach. His baby was sleepy today, and although they’d been really kicky in the morning, they were resting well now. Lance felt more active than he had in a while, and certain smells no longer sent him running for the bathroom. There’d been a while where he’d furiously banned all coffee from the house, much to Keith’s displeasure, because it had made him feel incredibly nauseous. 

He was glad they’d been able to come visit the Shirogane household that day. Lance always felt better after seeing his friends, and it certainly helped that they had the cutest kid ever. Lance knew both Shiro and Allura were protective of him too – he was the only omega in their friend group, and being pregnant only added to that. He always felt very loved and cherished around his friends.

Even more so when Keith came over to settle down beside him, passing a tentative hand over Lance’s stomach. Their baby, as if sensing Keith’s presence, pressed a little hand or foot against Keith’s palm. It made Keith smile as he hid his face in the crook of Lance’s neck.

“You sure you’re feeling okay?” Keith whispered.

Lance hummed, and nuzzled against Keith’s hair, feeling beyond content. “Perfect.”


	51. Keith/Lance - Awake

Sometimes, Lance noticed that Keith had nightmares.

He didn’t think it was too much to worry about, not like it had been when they were younger and restless and full of unwarranted angst. They were older now, and had less things in life to fear. Their dreams were useless, amusing things. It was very rare that they dreamt of anything bad at all.

Mostly, he thought Keith had nightmares about nonsensical things. The sort of things that he couldn’t remember when he woke up, that were more unusual or unsettling than frightening. He never had particularly bad reactions to them, not like when he was younger and he’d toss and turn and kick and whimper and cry until he was woken up. It wasn’t that sort of nightmare. It hadn’t been that sort of nightmare for years, now.

Rather, he’d do this sort of cute thing where he’d grunt into his pillow and he’d frown so fiercely that his lips would push into a pout. He’d make strange, inquisitive noises, and roll onto his other side a few times, just restless enough to wake Lance up. Sometimes he’d press right up against Lance’s side, his fingers scrabbling for purchase under Lance’s night shirt, tickling his skin. 

It was always easy to wake Keith up from those strange little dreams. Sometimes Lance wouldn’t full wake himself, and he’d make noncommittal noises, pawing at Keith’s chest and face until Keith jerked awake. Other times Lance would wait to see if the dream settled, or if Keith would wake himself up, lying quietly with his hand curled around the back of Keith’s neck or over his hip. If he didn’t, Lance would wake him with a gentle shake or a well-timed prod to the side. 

Keith never particularly remembered anything he dreamed about. Lance usually asked him the next morning, just to make sure his moody husband was actually alright (he always was; being moody was just something that came natural to Keith, and was unrelated to dreams or nightmares). Once, Lance had asked him right when Keith had woken up from one, but after he’d mumbled something ridiculous about talking dinosaurs with tiny arms, he’d realised that Keith’s nightmares were just strange things likely brought on from late-night movie binges and too much sugar.

Either way, he much preferred the quirky dreams Keith had over the terrible nightmares he used to experience. Anything was better than that, even dreams about dinosaurs with tiny arms.

And besides, it gave Lance something to tease Keith about when morning came. That was always fun, too.


	52. Keith/Lance/Shiro - Shore

Lance never expected to really come across a mermaid, not even with all the time he spent alone down at the beach. He could brush off people’s inquisitive questions and puzzled stares with the mermaid excuse – “If I go down there enough, I’ll definitely see one. Eventually!” 

Realistically, he knew he went to the beach for other reasons, though a childish part of him still held onto the dream of actually seeing a mermaid. He used the beach as an escape when his crowded family got too loud, when his studies became too hard, when he was too bone-deep exhausted to sleep. Living a mere five minute walk from the ocean provided him with a world of possibilities, which he was always eager to have.

Still, he never really expected to see a mermaid.

Let alone two.

They weren’t what he’d always dreamed of. How could they be? Humans and mermaids were never meant to meet, and anything humans knew or imaged were features pulled from stories. What he found was more than he could have ever imagined on his own.

Keith and Shiro did not intend to be seen by him. Lance had no knowledge of their world or their laws, but something about the way they’d acted told him that wherever they’d come from was no longer a place they could return to. Shiro had been badly injured, though the wound had been around for a while, and was on the mend. He was missing an arm, and had a deep scar across his nose. That wasn’t to mention the constellation of scars on his tail and torso.

His mate – that’s what Lance assumed he was, anyway – was less scarred, but no less battle ready. Keith was far more aggressive, snapping at Lance and trying to drag Shiro away when he came too close. He had wounds of his own, and while they weren’t deep, they needed tending to that Keith evidently wasn’t interested in.

Lance had only wanted to help. It took a week for the injured mermaids – mermen? – to let him close. Lance sort of surprised himself – he wasn’t interested in them because they were mermen, but he was worried for them, knowing they were in pain and exposed this close to the shore. It seemed like they’d been trying to heal in the bay, but Lance knew the tide could get really rough at night, so they must have ended up on the shore by accident when he’d first spotted them.

That had been months ago. The seasons changed, and the water became warmer. Keith and Shiro healed, and started to trust him more. Whatever drew him to them was drawing them to him in the same way. It was irresistible, and soon enough he loved them, his heart making room from them even when he understood that they might not always be together like they were then.

But he did grow to love them.

And he was sure they grew to love him, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was meant to be much longer but I was too tired to continue it ahh ^^"


	53. Keith/Lance/Shiro - Equal

Lance was nesting. He’d felt the stirrings of heat low in his gut about a week before, and knowing that he was going to nest, he’d already been getting things ready for the last few days. Most omegas went through a pre-heat period where their body started rigorously storing energy for the heat to come. During this time, an omega would build a nest to hide themselves in while they waited for their heat to hit.

For Lance, his nesting period lasted about a week, maybe five days if he was lucky. His heat was usually only two days at most – the standard for an omega of his age, thankfully. But he did nest for longer. It had surprised his mates at first, and driven them crazy. His scent always ramped up during pre-heat, and to have their sweet-smelling omega all curled up in their things where they were forbidden to touch, to enter? It frustrated them to no end.

But Lance knew they’d never overstep their boundaries. Keith was an omega like him, but his heat periods were incredibly irregular, and he acted more like an alpha than an omega. Still, he knew better than anyone to never encroach on Lance’s nesting space unless invited, but that didn’t stop him from pacing marks into the floor while he impatiently waited for Lance’s heat to hit. Sometimes Shiro – their alpha – could manage to distract him, but sometimes Keith rebelled.

He’d never admit it, but Lance liked riling Keith up almost as much as he liked to rile Shiro up. Shiro’s older age made him better at controlling himself, and although he obviously wanted to enter Lance’s nest, he knew better than to give in to those urges. Instead he’d scent the rest of their house, smothering everything in his smell, even Keith if he could get his hands on him. It was Shiro’s way of claiming the territory, and therefore the omega – omegas – inside of it. Getting Shiro riled up took a lot of teasing.

Keith? Not so much.

His fellow omega was far less skilled when it came to controlling himself. He’d station himself outside of whatever room Lance had claimed – usually the spare bedroom – and whine and whimper in hopes of convincing Lance to let him in. He was as protective as an alpha, always leaving marks on Lance’s neck and collarbone, always growling when others came too close or looked too long. Having Lance, smelling like heat, locked away where Keith couldn’t see him or check up on him drove him mad. Usually with arousal, but sometimes with worry. Lance would coo and whine to let Keith know he was okay when his teasing had gone too far, but he never relented to Keith’s pleading whimpers until he was ready to have his mates in his nest.

Actually building his nest took two or three days. The spare bedroom was stocked full with linens for heat purposes, so Lance didn’t usually have to travel far once his body had decided it was time to go onto pre-heat. He’d pile all the blankets and pillows in the bed, arranging them just how he liked, so that he was blanketed on all side by piles of soft things with enough room for his mates to eventually join him. 

At times he’d venture out of the room in search for other things, though he’d only leave when he was certain no one would try to enter his nest. Omegas were very possessive of their nests, and he was no exception. If anyone touched it or changed the balance of scents he was creating then he’d dismantle it and find somewhere else to build it, usually somewhere riskier. He usually become more aggressive too, and that was never good.

Shiro was the one who always held Keith back when Lance needed to come out for other fabrics. He always managed to know what Lance wanted, and would corner Keith in the kitchen, nibbling at Keith’s mating mark to keep him from running to Lance like he wanted to. Lance always wanted their clothes, or the couch cushions – things that smelled like his mates. Once he had them, he’d return to the spare room, and Keith would return to his restless pacing.

It wasn’t like Lance didn’t want them with him. Well, he didn’t, but it wasn’t spiteful. His nest had to be perfect for his mates. He was very vain, and in his heat-addled mind, he believed that if his nest wasn’t beautiful than his partners wouldn’t want to mate with him. It had to be perfect: they had to have enough space for all three of them, enough of a barrier on the sides to keep them from slipping off the bed, extra sheets to replenish the ones that got ruined throughout the duration of his heat, and most importantly, his scent had to be heavy enough to entice both his mates in. Only then would he be content to wait for his heat to begin.

Sometimes he let his mates in before his actual heat hit. Most omegas didn’t, choosing to wait until the time when their body was the most receptive to call their mates in. Lance had been like that for his first few heats, but the presence of Keith and his whining was reassuring, in some weird way. If his omega wanted him so badly that he whined when Lance out of his sight, then surely Lance had to work less to entice him in?

The first time he’d cooed to let his mates know they could join him before his heat had hit, Keith had practically stumbled in his rush to get to his mate. Shiro was more cautious, knowing his heavier scent might set Lance off, but Lance loved him just as dearly as he loved Keith.

Since then, he usually let them in a day or so early, so they could familiarise themselves with his nest and he could make any last adjustments so it was truly perfect. He grew to love having them with him for the final day of pre-heat, too. They praised him so much, and lavished him with endless attentions, so proud their omega let them into his perfect nest early. Lance had always been susceptible to praise, even more so when he was filled with instincts and hormones.

As he was fixing his current nest, he knew this would be a period when he’d let his mates in early, too. He could already hear Keith pacing, restless to have his omega with him again. Lance’s hormones and his scent always made Keith far more protective. When he listened harder, he heard Shiro get up, and gently guide Keith back to the living room. 

Sometimes Lance worried about Keith when he wasn’t around. Keith wasn’t always so protective, and he only became like this around Lance’s heat. Some instinct in him demanded that he protect his omega. Once, he’d reluctantly told Lance that it was because he thought someone better was going to come along and steal Lance’s attention. Lance had spent hours proving just how much he loved Keith, and how no one was ever going to separate them. They were mated. It was a bond for life.

And besides, Keith was his omega, too. No one was going to take his omega from him.

But it was impossible to deny that his heats made Keith restless. Shiro was usually the only one who could calm him when Lance was out of commission. He’d distract Keith with exercise and bites to the neck, but knew he had to let Keith pace some of his restless energy out. He himself became relentlessly protective of his mates when either one of them went into heat, though he was better at hiding it. 

At times, Lance knew Keith took out his possessive urges on Shiro. They extended to the alpha as well, though not as strongly as they did to his omega in heat. Sometimes Shiro would arrive at Lance’s nest covered in love bites. Keith could be just as possessive about Shiro’s attentions as he was about Lance’s. No one in their relationship loved one more than another. It was all equal. 

When it came time for Keith’s heats, Lance could be just as fanatic. He wouldn’t pace like Keith did, but he’d mark up Shiro, and scent all the fabrics he could, hoping Keith would take them into his nest with him. 

But for now, he focused on his nest. Everything looked as good as it could without his mates in it. He could sense them close, and after settling himself in his nest, he called for them.

Like usual, Keith was the first to barrel his way in. Shiro, as their alpha, had the instinctual right to be first, but he loved seeing his omegas together, and always let Keith go to Lance first. Keith wasted no time before clambering into Lance’s nest, hardly sparing a glance at the piles of fabrics before claiming Lance’s lips for his own.

“I missed you,” he mumbled.

Lance purred pleasantly, and tilted his head to the side so that Keith could scent him. 

Shiro climbed into the nest beside him, waiting until he could sense Keith’s restless energy unravelling before he tangled his fingers in Keith’s hair and urged him away. He didn’t leave Lance unattended for long, pressing his nose where Keith had scented, taking in Lance’s scent carefully and methodically. Once he’d decided that yes, his omega was unharmed, he set to scenting Lance too, and then did the same for Keith.

As much as Keith was possessive over Lance, his instincts could not compare to Shiro’s. Keith was a spark of heat compared to Shiro’s intense wildfire. Where Keith was driven with worry and impatience, knowing exactly what Lance was doing but unable to be with him, Shiro was calmer, waiting like a predator watching its prey. Keith was almost entirely focused on Lance; Shiro was focused on them both. Even if his attention fell a little more on Lance during his heats, there was no doubt in Lance’s mind that Shiro would be just as fiercely protective of Keith, too.

That’s why he was their alpha. He loved them both equally, and didn’t favour one over the other. He understood that their omega instincts acted differently to his alpha ones, and stepped back to let them run their course, only interfering when necessary. He knew that their bond as omegas was different to their bond with him, and instead of being jealous, he embraced it. 

He was proud to have two omegas like them.

Knowing that Keith was placated, Lance turned his attention to Shiro. He pressed his nose under Shiro’s chin and purred up a storm when Shiro put his hands on him. As much as Shiro held himself back so that Keith could settle down, he was anxious from waiting for Lance’s heat to begin. Shiro made a deep, growling noise, utterly content to have Lance’s affections.

He really had the best mates. Lance thought it almost every day, and every day it became truer and truer. There was no doubt in his mind that they’d keep him safe, and that they’d give him everything he wanted. They loved him and each other as dearly as he did them. 

What more could he ever need?


	54. Keith/Lance/Shiro - Nap

The first time it came to Shiro’s attention, he didn’t actually notice what was going on himself. Than was itself a strange thing, as he was generally the one to notice things in the relationship. But it was Keith who brought it to his attention.

“Are you sure he’s meant to be laying like that?”

To be completely honest, Shiro wasn’t sure. He’d only faintly noticed that Lance had a habit of dropping wherever he was to sleep. It must have been a talent, or something. No matter where they were or how uncomfortable their seats happened to be, Lance could find a way to sleep. Sometimes he’d end up in the most twisted positions, looking more pretzel than boy, and Shiro wondered how he could possibly be comfortable.

Once Keith had brought it up, it was impossible not to notice anymore.

They found Lance slumped over the kitchen table the next night. His ribs were most certainly digging into the table edge, and his cheek was crushed against the tabletop, but he continued sleeping as if he wasn’t going to wake up with an awkward bruise. Shiro and Keith only shared a look before Shiro set to carrying him to bed.

It wasn’t an isolated occurrence after that. Shiro had always been astounded by Lance’s flexibility, but the positions he put himself in were starting to push the realm of belief. 

Keith found him twisted on their bed with one leg and the opposite arm hanging off the edge. Shiro came across him slumped against the ground in the common room, fast asleep, his forehead tucked against the bottom of the couch. Lance had fallen asleep in his Lion’s cockpit, and across her paw when he was meant to be cleaning her. He’d once fallen asleep with half of him on Keith, and the other half on Shiro. He had no idea how Lance did it, but he just never seemed to be uncomfortable.

Eventually it became a sort of game. If Keith or Shiro couldn’t find Lance, then they knew their boyfriend had dozed off somewhere strange. Whoever found him would usually carry him to bed, if it was late enough, or rearrange his limbs so he didn’t wake up with cricks or bruises. Sometimes, if there was enough room wherever Lance had fallen, Shiro would squirm his way in beside him, content to doze with his boyfriend. 

Today was one of those days. Lance had dragged a pile of blankets into the common room earlier when they were having a meeting, and although everyone had left, he’d stayed to relax. Keith had disappeared to the training deck to work out some of his restless energy, and Shiro had things to attend to with Allura, but now that he was free to do as he wished.

He found Lance exactly where he’d left him, except now Lance had made a nest of blankets on the floor, and was fast asleep in them. He was completely tangled up, enough to make Shiro laugh to himself quietly. Only his Lance could get himself into such a predicament while asleep.

As quietly as he could, he took off his shoes and jacket, and slipped into Lance’s pile of blankets. It was warm and cosy, and surprisingly comfortable, despite being on the floor. Lance stirred for a moment but ultimately didn’t wake up, not even when Shiro tucked an arm around him.

Predictably, Keith showed up a little while later. He took one look at Lance with his tangled blankets and snorted, amused. Shiro patted a hand against the space behind Lance, encouraging him to join them. Keith pulled off his shoes and jacket before making himself at home behind Lance. He put his face against Lance’s shoulder, and twisted his fingers in the section of Shiro’s shirt he could reach.

Sometimes it was nice to relax and cuddle like this. Shiro didn’t always like it when Lance went to sleep in places he shouldn’t, but at times it was cute, and he thought they all deserved a bit of rest. As long as Lance didn’t twist himself into any weird positions, he was sure they’d all have a peaceful afternoon nap.


	55. Keith/Lance - Family

This wasn’t the first time they’d argued.

“I’m not some toy you can parade around in front of your rich friends!”

“This isn’t about that, Keith–”

“It is and you know it. I’m not who you want, and that’s the problem. You couldn’t care less about what I think.”

“Keith, stop acting like a child. You are not a baby anymore.”

“Or what? You’re gonna punish me? Put me in time-out? Oh, right, I forgot you’ve moved onto other forms of punishment. What will it be this time? Freeze my bank? Chain my bike? Cut off my cell?”

Most of those things would have hurt him, before. It was different now. He was older, his heart harder. He’d opened his own bank account. Worked his ass off to pay for his own bike and the fuel it cost to run it. Bought his own phone and organised his own plan for payments for it.

Before, money had been the only thing they really had over him. It wasn’t like that anymore.

Despite the way he was treated, he couldn’t bring himself to hate the people before him. They weren’t the worst foster parents he’d ever had, and they still gave him a roof, and a means to make money. The good school they sent him to gave him decent job opportunities. He couldn’t hate them.

But that didn’t mean he had to love them. Being in the foster system had taught him one important thing, and it was that loving family was not an obligation, but something that had to be earned. He was in charge of who he called family, who he loved like a person could only love their closest companions. 

And he’d already chosen who he wanted.

For the most part, all of his foster parents over the years had let him see his older brother, Shiro, as regularly as he wanted. They weren’t related by blood, but it was close enough that Keith didn’t care. Shiro had all but raised him, and cared for him when no one else wanted to. There was no doubt in Keith’s mind about Shiro’s affection for him. They were family.

Recently, there was another he had started considering family. Not for the same reasons he considered Shiro family, or even the reasons he considered his friends Hunk and Pidge as family. It may have started that way with this other people (or even worse, considering that they actually hadn’t gotten along when they first met all those years ago) but it was different now. He felt different now.

Keith sucked in a slow, deep breath. “I’m not going to any more galas, charity events, fairs, banquets, any of it. I’m not going to wear a suit or a blazer and I’m not going to wear a tie. I’m too old for you to be playing dress up with anymore.”

In hindsight, he knew his foster parents didn’t quite understand where he was coming from. They were a wealthy, older couple that looked twenty years younger than they were. Their vocabulary was nothing less than charming, their smiles just as much so. At first, they’d looked perfect, not a hair out of place. Decked in luxury with a house big enough to need a cleaner and those flawless smiles, Keith had thought he’d finally found a home where he could be cared for, where he wouldn’t be turned away or tucked into the only space left in a small house. Not all his foster homes had been bad – most were really nice, actually – but it was the bad ones that stood out.

They weren’t bad people, not really. Despite their overtly expensive exteriors, they did a lot of work for the community. They raised money for charities, regularly donated to food banks, and had even heavily funded the building of a new public school. They weren’t bad people.

But they were kind of bad parents.

Keith couldn’t blame them. The only thing they’d ever had to take care of before was their bank accounts, and they were quite good at that. Bank accounts didn’t talk, walk, require food, or sass them. Keith did. He knew he was a handful, that he was moody and at times ungrateful. He didn’t get along with people that coddled him, or treated him with too firm of a hand. And he didn’t get along with people that left him on his own, like his current foster parents did.

They just didn’t know how to take care of a rowdy kid. At first, when he was a few years younger, he could tolerate them dressing him up and parading him around in front of their rich friends. It had felt like an adventure.

Really, it was all that they knew to do with him. He began to feel more like a showpiece than a person, a way for them to garner sympathy. Look at the troubled boy they’re raising, the boy they’re giving a wealthy life to. Aren’t they good people?

Keith just didn’t care about any of that. About the money, the wealth, the luxury. He didn’t let them give him more pocket money than other kids his age. He made sure he worked for it. He cleaned dishes, swept the floor, did anything to make himself feel like he earned their money. Sometimes his foster father would ask him to mow the lawn and give the gardener the day off, and it made Keith feel relieved to be put to work. His foster parents didn’t really understand, but they did try.

Sometimes too much.

Like then. They weren’t conservative people, but they didn’t exactly… like, or entirely approve of the fact that he was gay. He’d known he’d liked boys for ages, but kept it close to his heart.

Until he met Lance.

Until he started to like Lance.

Until Lance became family.

Lance was someone who valued family almost more than Keith did. He had six siblings and too many cousins to count and enough aunts to man an entire battle ship, probably. His family – or at least, the members Keith had met so far – were fierce and lively and welcoming. They were warm. They didn’t care that Lance liked boys and girls and anyone, really, though right then he liked Keith the most. Just that was enough for the rest of his family to like Keith, too.

Keith’s parents didn’t dislike Lance, but they didn’t like him, either. They made Keith keep the door open if Lance visited, and they imposed a curfew. He wasn’t allowed to stay over. Keith was tired of it.

“I’m going to Lance’s house,” he told his parents, when he’d sorted out his thoughts. “I’m going to stay over. I’ve already left his parent’s house number on the fridge, and I’ve got my phone… It’s not like anything is going to happen. We’re just going to have a barbecue. Shiro will be there. Hunk and Pidge too.”

And it’s not like his foster parents could argue with that. Despite what they might have thought, Keith had learned things from them. They were effortless with their responsibilities, and had instilled the value of accountability in him. He was responsible for his actions and for making sure he kept his promises to them. Really, it wasn’t like he and Lance were going to do anything. They weren’t… like that. At least not yet, anyway. 

For now, Keith was just relieved to be loved by someone like Lance. He liked the way Lance’s blue eyes watched him. He liked the way Lance’s hips fit in his hands. He even liked it when Lance fell asleep against him even though he always drooled in Keith’s hair.

No part of him wanted to miss out on any time he could be spending with his pretty boyfriend. 

So after hugging his foster parents goodbye, he grabbed his overnight duffel bag, and went to start up his motorbike. He had friends waiting for him, family waiting for him.

And who was he to disappoint?


	56. Keith/Lance - Fever

Lance was used to taking care of people when they were sick. He had to be, when he had four younger siblings and too many cousins to count. He’d nursed his infant siblings through weak coughs and his older siblings through fevers and infections. Sometimes his cousins would stay with them when they were sick to stop the illness from potentially spreading to other newborns. Once, when Lance was a toddler and his twin brothers had just been born, he’d stayed with his aunt until his bronchitis had cleared up so that he didn’t get anyone else sick.

It was just what his family did. His aunts and uncles treated him just like their own, and he hadn’t felt at all afraid to be away from his parents while ill. His family was perhaps closer than some, more eagerly mingled past what was considered immediate, but Lance never felt safer than when he was with them. They’d taught him too many things to name.

For now, he was glad that he’d grown up knowing every home remedy under the sun.

“Eat a little more,” he encouraged Keith, as he sat perched on the edge of the sofa. Keith was loosely covered by the blanket from their bed, but Lance knew he’d kick it off as soon as his back was turned. 

Keith groaned, turning his face away. “Don’t wanna eat.” He was pale, aside from the fever spots high on his cheeks. Lance had never seen him look so ragged. 

“A few more mouthfuls,” Lance urged. He touched the edge of the spoon to Keith’s lips, and despite Keith’s heated frown, he complied. It looked like it hurt to swallow, but he humoured Lance. 

“This isn’t what I meant when I said ‘in sickness and in health,’” Keith said, miserable. 

“Well, lucky for you, it’s what I meant when I promised the same,” Lance soothed. He set aside the bowl of soup he’d made – his father’s recipe – and instead sunk his fingers into Keith’s sweaty hair. They’d been married for three months now. 

“You shouldn’t have to deal with me when I’m gross,” Keith complained, his voice hoarse and scratchy. He looked so frustrated with himself that Lance could have shaken him. “You could get sick.”

“I’ll be fine,” Lance said. Even if he did get sick, he knew someone from his family would swoop in to take care of him. Already two aunts, an uncle, and his mother had stopped by to make sure he was feeding Keith, and to bring food so that even if Lance was, he didn’t have to worry about feeding himself, too. They were expecting Lance’s older brother to show up soon, as he’d already called ahead to say he was coming over.

Lance knew Keith was surprised by how attentive Lance’s family was. He was still unused to it now, even after being married, even after being together for years, and years of friendship before that. Keith was as much a member of their family as anyone who shared their blood. Lance knew that as soon as he’d texted his father for his soup recipe the entire family had be alerted to Keith’s sickness.

Keith grumbled to himself, sinking down further against the sofa. He preferred sleeping there when he was sick instead of the bed, mostly to keep the sheets sickness-free, and partially because he found the sofa very comfortable. 

“You’re too good to me,” Keith whispered.

“Nonsense.” Lance flipped over the wet face washer on Keith’s forehead, pressing the cooler side back to his skin. “You’d do the same for me. And besides, you’re my husband. It’s my job to take care of you. Even if it wasn’t, I’d still do it.”

A faint smile touched Keith’s tired face. He leaned his cheek into Lance’s hand and let out a long breath. “I like hearing you call yourself my husband,” he mumbled.

“I like calling myself your husband,” Lance told him. 

Keith hummed. Lance rubbed his thumb under Keith’s eye, and within moments, Keith was asleep. Lance meticulously tucked him in, making sure the blanket wouldn’t come off for a while. He brushed Keith’s hair away from his face, adjusted his face washer, and made sure his tea, glass of water, and medicine were within arm reach. 

Lance knew Keith would be all better in a few days – quicker, if he could get him to eat more – but he still worried. After all, Keith was his husband. He hated seeing Keith so weak and miserable, like his fire had been snuffed out. 

With a sigh to himself, Lance leaned down and pressed one last lingering kiss to Keith’s cheek. He had cleaning up to do, and had to find space for all the food his older brother would undoubtedly bring over.


	57. Keith/Lance - Donut

Keith loved his job, he really did, but he hated that it kept him away from his omega.

It wasn’t so bad, he told himself. Lance only worked in the building down the street. He could go and visit him anytime he wanted, and vice versa. Their bosses understood. After all, both their bosses knew how protective Keith could be. He tried really hard not to be overprotective, or oppressive, but it was hard when he knew his beloved mate and unborn child was just down the road without him with them.

Still, it wasn’t like it was going to make Lance stop working just because he was pregnant. Some alphas did that, exerting control over their omega in ways that were generally very frowned upon. Keith knew that Lance’s autonomy was his to control, unless a doctor advised otherwise. And besides, Keith realistically knew that he had no right to hover over Lance more than Lance needed. He had to control his instincts, and thought he was doing okay.

Luckily for him, he had a mate who understood his struggles. Keith had always had a bit of a hot temper, though he’d levelled out a lot more after he’d gotten older and mated Lance. His instincts had always been wild, too, but Lance helped him control them. He didn’t get jealous over Lance’s attention anymore, and knew that he could just talk to his mate if he ever felt upset or uncomfortable. He still sometimes wondered why Lance had ever liked him in the first place when he used to be so broody and distant, but somehow he’d managed to seduce the prettiest omega he’d ever met.

In the middle of their street, between their work buildings, was a quaint little café where one of Lance’s closest friends worked. They met up there for lunch every day, mostly so Keith didn’t fret over Lance’s wellbeing, and partly because Lance liked to gorge himself on sweets. They’d been doing their little café dates for years, but since Lance had become pregnant, it had turned into an everyday experience. 

That’s where Keith was now. He was sitting in Lance’s favourite booth, food already ordered. Lance liked to text him whatever he felt like during the day so Keith would have an idea about what he’d want from the café. Keith always got there first – he was too eager to see Lance. Today his mate had been craving custard, so he’d ordered a powdered custard donut, and Lance’s favourite hot chocolate – Hunk made it the best, just to Lance’s preference.

Seeing his mate entering the café with a cheery smile and his jacket undone around the soft curve of his belly made Keith’s heart feel like it was aflame. Lance spots him instantly, and a brilliantly cheeky grin crosses his face, the one that means he’s had a good day and he really wants his donut.

This ritual of theirs kept Keith sane. He loved his mate so much he felt like he was going to burst, felt like all his adoration for Lance was swelling up inside with nowhere to go. He’d never been good with words. Sometimes smiles and relieved looks, and a gentle sniff to Lance’s neck or hands pressed widely across his stomach had to convey everything he felt when words couldn’t. 

It was usually enough. Lance could read him like a book. He always knew what Keith was thinking, and then was no different. He was sure to perch against Keith’s lap for a moment, letting Keith sniff him for injuries, touch his stomach, kiss his cheek and make sure not a hair was out of place. 

Eventually, however, the call of Hunk’s sweet pastries was too strong for Lance to resist. Amused and pleased that his omega liked what Keith had gotten for him, he’d let Lance go, and their little lunch date could properly begin.


	58. Lance/Shiro - Downpour

In the last half-dozen years or so, Shiro had become quite the pacifist. He’d been stuck under the Galra’s control for years, forced to serve as their leader’s prized champion fighter. Being in their army had cost him more than just his arm.

Now, he avoided all forms of violence. He wasn’t interested in fighting, or the war, or anything that could cause harm. All he wanted to do was live a peaceful life in his isolated cabin and somehow find a way to stop his tomatoes from wilting.

Fate, it seemed, had other plans for him.

The Galra war started years ago with the downfall of the Alteans. Whatever was left of the most magically charged race was either in hiding or extinct. The Galra hunted them straight into death, and while the Alteans were far superior intellectually, it was the Galra who ended up with the upper hand. Shiro wasn’t sure how it happened exactly – no one was – but he knew it had something to do with the quintessence serum the Galra had been illegally siphoning from magical creatures. They, led by Zarkon, killed magical creatures to harness their energy, and with that, they overwhelmed the Alteans. It happened during years of peace assured by a treaty between the Galra and the Alteans, one the Galra betrayed.

None of it was honest or fair.

But then again, those were two things war was definitely not.

Whatever had happened, Shiro knew at least some of the Alteans survived. That included their Princess, Allura, who was far too young to lead at the time of her people’s downfall. The royal advisor, Coran, whisked her away at the command of the old king and since then they’ve been in hiding. It was only six years ago that Allura returned, taking the magical world by storm. She liberated half of Zarkon’s army and regained control of at least one fourth of his conquered territories before he knew what hit him.

Most importantly of all, arguably, was her decision to free his champion.

Shiro had been Zarkon’s strongest fighter. Originally, he was just a plain human. He’d lived in a small village with his mother and father, both hardworking people, and had expected to live an ordinary life. 

Then Zarkon had captured him.

He wasn’t the only human to fall victim to the magical war. But he was the only human to survive Zarkon’s experiments, and the only human to fight for the Galra – if he could even be called human. He’d lost his arm in the fights the experiments were force to participate in, but Zarkon had replaced it with a Galra-made contraption, one fuelled by magic. He hated it, but had learned to live with it.

Allura and her army had saved him, and now he was free again. He knew he could never go back to living in the human villages, not with an arm like his. It was too dangerous. It made him dangerous. But he did contact his parents to let them know he was alive. They visited sometimes, when they could afford to leave their business for a while. He’d never been more grateful to see them again than he had after that first reunion.

He’d wanted to live on his own for the rest of his life. After everything he’d been through, he wholeheartedly welcomed the silence. He wanted nothing more than to live on his own, work on his own, sleep on his own. He just wanted the quiet.

But the presence of magic always drew more magic. He lived on the outskirts of Allura’s territory, where he was safe from the Galra and their influence. Unfortunately, his location meant that those fleeing the Galra often passed by him to get into the heart of Altea’s territory. He didn’t mind the small creatures, the ones who were more interested in camping in his gardens or on his roof. It was the bigger ones who begged for shelter he could never turn away.

That morning, Shiro was woken by the sound of rain. It pit-pattered against his roof in an unnatural way, one he knew was caused by magical means. Normal humans, and most magical creatures for that matter, could not tell the difference between magical storms and normal ones. Generally, they were so alike it hardly mattered. But being experimented on by the Galra had altered Shiro’s mind, and he could tell it was magical. To him it mattered. A simple storm meant he had nothing to worry about, except perhaps his weak-willed tomatoes. A magical one meant someone was coming.

He sighed to himself as he rose, getting ready for the day. He’d been free of guests for a solid month, the longest run of silence in a while. He didn’t count the little guests. There’d been small pixies and these little, fuzzy creatures with wide eyes living in his garden a few weeks ago, but they’d since moved on. He sort of thought that perhaps the wind had carried them in, and they’d simply gotten stuck in his trees. The next big gust of wind had them drifting away like dandelion seeds.

His morning was spent making food for the day – more than he could possibly eat on his own – and checking his garden. He grew all sorts of fruits and vegetables, most of which had had a little magical help from Allura when she’d first brought him to the cabin to live. Shiro could keep the easier plants alive without any problems, but some were challenging. Allura’s magic kept the soil and weather optimal, so as long as he watered them according, they should live. Even the magical plants.

The only thing that refused to play nice was the tomatoes.

He thought they had a personal vendetta against him.

Shiro had an inkling that this guest was going to be a water nymph. The rain was too unusual to belong to anyone else. Nymphs were strange, pretty creatures with big personalities and a lot of magic in their veins. Zarkon hunted them rigorously.

Around midday, the rain really started coming down. Shiro was worried for his non-magical plants, but didn’t dare step out into the downpour. Instead he waited. When it became clear the nymph was too afraid to come into his home, he went out onto the porch and called them in. “I’m not going to harm you,” he said. “You might as well come inside.”

He wasn’t quite sure what he was expecting to see. He hadn’t seen many nymphs since he’d been living in the cabin, and never any with an affinity for water – only earth nymphs travelling from further up north. But when a bedraggled boy clambered up onto his porch, desperately seeking the safety Shiro could provide, it was easy to say Shiro was incredibly surprised.

“Please,” the boy whispered, looking up at Shiro with big, sad blue eyes and a trembling lower lip. His youthful, handsome face made something in Shiro warm. “Please, can I stay for a little while? Just a little.”

It was then that Shiro knew deep down he’d never be able to refuse this boy anything, not even if he wanted to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lance never left. The tomatoes liked him more than they liked Shiro.


	59. Keith/Lance/Shiro - Safe

Lance clamped his fingers over his mouth, trying to eradicate all sounds of his frantic breathing. He staggered against a tree, smearing blood down the rough bark. There was a ringing in his ears that made it hard for him to tell if he was still being chased or not. Fear made him continue.

The depths of the forest became darker and darker as he delved deeper within it. Everyone knew that this forest was dangerous, that it grew thorns and not flowers, but it was the only choice he had. He was desperate; injured. The wound in his side was still bleeding profusely, no matter how much he tried to stop it. He had no magic left to heal himself anymore.

When the pain became too much to ignore again, he curled up against a tree, his hands going to his wound. The blood had long since seeped through all the layers of his tunic. He’d tied his jacket around his waist to try and staunch the bleeding but it had done little to help. He was starting to shiver now, and felt woozy. There was no chance he’d be able to run for much longer.

Still, he persisted. His mind might have been playing tricks on him, but he swore he could hear thundering steps coming after him. For all he knew, the Galra were right on his tail, foaming at the mouths like a pack of hunting dogs eager to bring in a kill. 

Eventually the trees started to thin. He’d never been this far away from a water source before, and had no idea whether forests grew like this, but he didn’t stop moving. The spaces between the trunks became less and less, and the feeling of company began to creep into Lance’s mind. It was easy to tell where others lived, where people had been before. Their magic sunk into the earth, left faint traces. It set Lance on edge.

Exhaustion started to sink in. He blinked and struggled to reopen his eyes. A tree suddenly seemed like a great place to rest, so he staggered to the closest one and slumped down between its roots. He couldn’t feel the cold anymore. For a moment, he was sure his mind faded, but he jerked awake with a stifled gasp. His head spun. He was going to die out here.

“This isn’t smart.”

“He’s injured, Keith. What threat could he pose?”

Voices filtered through the drowsy haze in his mind. Lance forced his eyes open and whimpered, shrinking further back into the tree. Dark figures swam before his eyes.

“Hey, don’t be afraid,” a deep voice soothed. Someone crouched in front of him, and offered their hand, ignoring Lance’s wounded flinch. “Don’t move too much, you’re bleeding heavily.”

“Here,” the other voice said. There was a ruffling noise, and then something wiping against his sweat-drenched face.

“Come on, open your eyes for me.”

For some reason, Lance did. The face he saw was handsome, despite the thick scar running across the man’s nose. He didn’t look like a Galra, but Lance had never seen anyone like him before. He was used to water spirits, or earth dryads, and this man was clearly neither. His magic felt… warm. Safe.

Lance wasn’t sure what that meant.

“His eyes are so blue,” the second whispered. “Shiro…?”

“We’ll take him home,” Shiro said. His hands touched Lance’s shoulders, gauging his reaction, and decided that he wasn’t strong enough to fight back. “I’m going to pick you up now, alright?”

Lance managed a groan. He tensed as arms slid around him, and let out a pained yelp as he was jostled.

“I’m sorry, please bear it for now,” Shiro pleaded.

Lance watched him through blurry eyes. There was something about Shiro’s face, about his magic, that called to him. Lance had never felt anything like it before, and focusing on that strange feeling in the pit of his stomach was the only thing keeping him awake.

“Is he alright?”

Shiro glanced at his companion, looking troubled. “I can already feel him bleeding over my arm,” he said. “It doesn’t look good, Keith.”

Lance followed his gaze. Shiro’s companion – Keith – had just as handsome a face. There was a fierceness in his eyes that made Lance feel pinned. His magic was fire, shifting underneath his skin, making Keith seem constantly alight. Lance was fixated.

Keith felt his stare, and inched closer. He peered over the cradle of Shiro’s arms, observing Lance’s face with an intense curiosity. “What happened to you?” He murmured.

“Galra,” Lance croaked. 

Keith’s expression darkened. He touched Lance’s face once, his fingers passing over Lance’s forehead and down his cheek, lingering almost fondly. “You’ll be safe with us,” he promised. Shiro rumbled in agreement, his arms firm. “I promise.”

For some unexplainable, instinctual reason, Lance believed that these people would not hurt him. Keith’s promise rung with honesty, with the same protectiveness Shiro had shown, like they were two hales of a whole reflecting what the other desired. Lance wondered if he could ever possibly fit in with them.

But then Keith passed a warm hand over his eyes, encouraging him to shut them, and Shiro pulled him closer. No part of him could even try to stay awake.


	60. Keith/Lance/Shiro - Hungry

Lance sighed, slumping further into the couch as he listened to the snap and crackle of bacon coming from the kitchen. All his senses were finely tuned to food at the moment, even when he wasn’t hungry. If he heard one of his mates opening the cupboard for a snack, he was behind them in an instant. If either one of them opened up a packet of chips or a muesli bar, then he was there, pawing for a handout. He’d whine and whimper until he was fed, making himself look as miserable as possible to get his mates to share.

Of course, they were more than willing. They’d never deny their pregnant mate anything, they’d told him that several times. But Lance’s instincts took no notice of their reassurances. He was focused on making sure his baby grew healthy, and if that meant he begged for food all the time, then he didn’t care. As long as his precious pup was okay.

Besides, his mates seemed to find it amusing. He liked seeing them smile when he did something funny without realising.

Now that Lance was seven months along, his stomach was becoming too heavy for him to be standing for extended periods of time. He liked to cook, and was usually the one to make dinner. He couldn’t really manage to do that anymore, not even when he tried. Shiro and Keith had taken over, but since neither was experienced with cooking, it had taken them a while to get into the swing of things. Most of the time they cooked simple things – spaghetti, fried rice, eggs and bacon, that sort of thing. Tonight they were making sandwiches. Lance could already smell the chicken strips they’d cooked, and knew there would be salad to accompany it. 

“How much longer?” He called.

“About ten minutes, love,” Shiro answered. “Are you feeling okay?”

“Just hungry,” he said, as he absentmindedly stroked his rounded stomach. His baby was a healthy eater, and loved all sorts of cooked vegetables. They were less forgiving about greasy foods, which meant midnight runs to a fast food restaurant were out of the question. 

There was a murmur from the kitchen, and Lance straightened, peering over the back of the couch with wide, hopeful eyes. A minute later and Keith appeared, carrying a plate of sliced carrot. It was a tiny portion, one small enough not to ruin his diner, but the mere thought of eating made Lance grin.

“For me?”

Keith rolled his eyes as he passed Lance the plate. “Of course,” he said. He leaned over the back of the couch to press his nose into Lance’s hair, sniffing curiously. After he’d decided that Lance was healthy, and his scent was normal, he pressed a kiss to Lance’s cheek. “Baby okay?”

It was something both his mates asked about quite a lot. Lance supposed it should annoy him, because he’d tell them if something felt wrong, but it didn’t. He thought their concern was sweet. Every time he told them the baby was okay, they trusted his word, and didn’t press him for more details. When Lance nodded, all Keith did was press a fond hand to Lance’s stomach, and then he disappeared back into the kitchen. Lance smiled at his retreating back before turning to his carrots.

He was eating a lot, but he supposed that just came with the whole pregnancy deal. He ate a lot on his heats too, so he wasn’t concerned. He kept active enough that he wasn’t putting on too much excess weight. In any case, he kind of liked how pregnancy had made his body soft and squishy – especially his ass and thighs. He could have dealt without the stretch marks, but his mates loved them, and they encouraged him to love them, too. 

Lance slowly slumped back into the couch, content to nibble on his carrots. He listened to the domestic noises coming from the kitchen and smiled. This was their first baby, and his mates were almost as excited as he was. He patted his stomach with a gentle hand.

Hungry baby or no, he already loved them with every single piece of his heart.


	61. Allura/Lance - Biology

Lance wasn’t sure how female alpha biology worked. He knew the fundamentals of course – he was mated to a female alpha, after all – but there was so much to it that he often got confused. Generally, dynamic statistics skewed towards a more binary distinction between first and secondary genders. Biological females were more often omegas than males because of their female reproductive system. In the same way, males were more often alphas than females.

That wasn’t to say there were more alphas or females of any gender. In fact, there were more betas than any other secondary gender out there. Still, as much as he knew not to focus on statistics, it wasn’t exactly common place to see a male omega with a female alpha. The ratio of those gender binaries was smaller than the rest, so it was simply an uncommon sight to see. Not bad, or anything like that. Just uncommon.

Regardless, Lance wasn’t quite sure about the biology of alpha females. He didn’t really want to discuss it, either. Of course he found his mate, Allura, insanely attractive. Body and mind alike. She treated him perfectly, and was fond of his little quirks. It had taken her a while to see him as anything other than a flirty friend vying for her attention, to see that he was really eager for her to like him. That his affections for her weren’t a joke.

But she had seen, eventually. To this day he still wasn’t sure what he’d done to that made her see him in a new light, but it must have been pretty cool. She’d started courting him without him realising, and it had been a bit of a mess for a while, but they worked it out eventually.

Now they’d been together for years, mated, and had spent heats and ruts together. 

It was sort of inevitable that eventually one of them would fall pregnant once they’d decided to stop using protection. Allura’s primary gender made it possible for her to conceive, but her alpha hormones made it incredibly difficult, especially in the presence of her fertile omega. 

Lance was three months along now, and showing enough that it was unmistakeable. He couldn’t stop fawning over his precious pup, though it was something he only did in the privacy of his home. The curve of his bump was just enough to fit in the palm of his hand, and it made him eager to feel a kick. He knew there was still a while to go before his pup would become active, but that didn’t stop his excitement.

Adorably, it didn’t stop Allura’s excitement either.

Sometimes Lance wondered if she would prefer to carry. She had the capability, and he did have a male reproductive system, so it wasn’t impossible. 

But she’d assured him that she wanted him to carry their first pup. She was an alpha after all, and seeing her omega pregnant and happy was a great source of pride. She’d been elated when she’d smelt the change in Lance’s hormones, something subtle and sweet. The first morning he’d woken up with a noticeable baby bump she’d been delighted, sniffing and cooing at his stomach like their pup could actually hear her.

It was sweet. Allura didn’t treat him like an invalid, and although she was careful with him, and protective, it was never too much. She liked to touch his stomach, to scent his neck whenever she could. 

When it really came down to it, he thought their relationship was well balanced. She tamed his sometimes too-wild instincts, his overt personality, and in turn, he made her relax, made her able to enjoy life more. They made each other happier.

And happiest of all was to be their pup, he was sure.


	62. Keith/Lance/Shiro - Unexpected

Lance’s heats had always been pretty predictable. There were only ever a few deviations, a handful of days early or late, but nothing that really worried him. He’d never had a sudden heat, though there’d been a few close calls when one of his alphas went into rut. Despite being officially mated for more than a year now, their cycles hadn’t synchronised, though that was to be expected. 

Without any immediate heats or ruts, he and his mates had decided to take a small holiday. There was a nice little resort down the coast with long white beaches and heaps of tourist attractions, all decently priced. Lance booked the hotel, and Shiro and Keith organised their travel and activities. It was going to be a good trip.

And for the most part, it was. They’d booked the hotel for a week, and spent the first few days doing all the normal things tourists liked to do. They went snorkelling down by the colourful coral reefs and went on a walking tour along the boardwalk, which took them over rock pools and back into the forest behind the beach. They even visited a tall lighthouse. 

The latter half of their stay was meant to be dedicated to relaxing. Trips to the beach, visits to local restaurants, a bit of shopping. Lots of time spent together in bed. Lance was really looking forward to that part.

Unfortunately, there was a little hiccup in their trip.

Although Lance had regular heats, Keith’s ruts were very unpredictable. After being mated his hormones had sort of settled, or had at least started matching up to either Shiro’s or Lance’s hormones. Generally, when Shiro went into a rut, it triggered a reaction in Keith. Sometimes Keith’s ruts did come on unexpectedly, and it was always a little stressful for everyone.

None of them expected Keith to go into a rut during their holiday.

It was Shiro who first noticed. He was their top alpha, and was far more in tune with the instincts of his mates. He woke up the instant Keith’s scent first changed. He had Keith up and out of the bed before Lance could react, knowing it might send Lance into a heat.

Still, Lance did wake when he sensed something wrong with his mates. Being in the bed alone was a strange experience, especially when he knew he’d gone to sleep with both his mates next to him. But he saw the bathroom light on, and could hear the shower running. It had made him uneasy.

“Shiro?”

“In here, Lance,” Shiro called. “Try and sleep some more, okay?”

Lance frowned. He kicked off the covers and padded towards the bathroom, but stopped outside the door. He could smell Keith’s rut then, something spicy and heady and deep that made him feel weak at the knees. Not all omegas were susceptible to heats if their alpha had an unexpected rut, but Lance was. It had happened before. 

“Shiro?” He tried again, weaker this time.

The shower was turned off, and then Shiro appeared, slipping out of the door before Lance could get a peek in. Shiro’s nightshirt was wet, and his face was flushed, despite the furrow in his brow. He shuffled Lance back towards the bed. 

“Is Keith okay?” Lance demanded. He could smell Keith on Shiro, and it was making him feel warm.

“He’s fine,” Shiro assured him. He sat Lance on the bed and went digging through their bags, looking for emergency medication. “Just stay in here, alright? I don’t want your heat to be triggered.”

“I can help,” Lance argued. His instincts demanded that he care for his mate, that he make sure Keith wasn’t in pain. Smelling the scent of his omega should make Keith feel more relaxed, and the more relaxed he was, the more easily he’d sink into rut. It was impossible to stop once it had started, and being tense would just make it more painful and drawn out.

Shiro seemed to know what he was thinking. “Let me get some medication into him first, okay? Then we’ll see.”

Lance wanted to push his point, but he made himself unwind, and nodded instead. Shiro was all coiled up and tense, just as affected by Keith’s scent as Lance was. His protective instincts always went out of control when one of them was in the throes of their cycle, and it was worse when something unexpected happened. He had his hands full with just Keith, with making sure he himself didn’t fall into a rut. It would just make him more stressed if Lance went into heat.

So he waited on the bed while Shiro took in medication for Keith. The shower would have cooled him down and helped slow his scent, and the medication would calm him. Sitting still wasn’t really Lance’s thing, so he got up to riffle through the bedside table drawers, looking for the hotel’s pamphlet. The restaurant wasn’t open this late – it was well past two in the morning – but there was still a selection of meals that guests could purchase for emergency situations.

With the menu in hand, Lance inched back towards the bathroom door, getting as close as he dared. “I’m going to go get food,” he said.

“Alright, thank you Lance,” Shiro called. “Take my wallet, it’s sitting on top of my suitcase.”

Lance pulled on a jacket over his pyjama shirt and shoved his feet in his boots. He grabbed Shiro’s wallet before heading out of the room. The cool, night air helped clear his head a little. He didn’t want to fall into heat, not only because it would burden Shiro, but because he wouldn’t be able to help Keith, either. He knew Keith found his rust to be quite stressful, and it always left him a bit shaken when he went through it without one of his mates in heat or rut. It made Lance determined to stay clear-headed.

The little food selection seemed perfect for unexpected cycles (or incredibly drunk people needing a meal). There was one chef who worked overnight, a little old lady who smiled at Lance and seemed entirely okay with being up so late.

Lance ordered sandwiches. The menu had more exciting things, but Keith would need energy, and the carbs would help. He paid the sweet woman and carried the meal back up to their room when it was done.

When he arrived back, Keith had been moved to the bed. His scent was blooming, designed to entice his mates closer. Shiro was talking in a hushed voice on the phone, a pamphlet clutched in his hand. Lance set aside some sandwiches for him before taking the rest over to Keith.

“How are you feeling?” He asked, as he took a seat on the edge of the bed. He ran his fingers through Keith’s damp hair, taking in his flushed, almost pained complexion.

Keith grunted in reply, and turned his face into Lance’s hand, sniffing at the scent glands on the inside of his wrist. It was hard for Lance to keep himself stable, especially when Keith smelt so good, and clearly wanted some romantic attention. But Lance couldn’t let himself get lost in the haze of hormones, so he helped Keith sit up, and handed him something to eat.

Thankfully, Keith was more than happy to nibble on the sandwiches. He hunched down into Lance’s side, so Lance put an arm around him, and let Keith breathe in his scent. It made him relax, and soon he was demolishing the sandwiches. A few minutes passed before he insisted Lance eat too; a sign his instincts were starting to ramp up.

“Alright now,” Shiro said, as he came to join them, his food in hand. “The hotel has agreed to transfer the rest of our nights to a rut hotel so we won’t have to pay for a room we’re not staying in. Thankfully they have partnerships with cycle hotels, so we can head over there in an hour or two, once we checkout and clean up.”

Lance was relieved. It wasn’t uncommon for tourist hotels and cycle hotels – places designed specifically for ruts or heats – to form partnerships. Unexpected cycles weren’t an uncommon occurrence, and this way neither the guest nor the hotel loses out on any money. 

“Do you want to keep him company while I check us out?” Shiro asked, glancing at Keith.

“Yeah, okay,” Lance nodded. Keith was settled next to him anyway, looking warm and blissfully drowsy. “We’ll be fine. He’s going to fall sleep once he’s eaten.”

Shiro looked doubtful, not because he didn’t trust Lance, but because he didn’t want to leave his mates, not even for a minute. He wordlessly passed Lance one of his jackets, and dropped a little kiss to his forehead before heading out to the front desk.

Predictably, Keith perked up the minute Shiro’s scent disappeared, letting out an inquisitive rumble. When no one returned it, he tried to sit upright, looking uneasy. Lance put Shiro’s jacket over him, and it calmed Keith down. 

Lance encouraged him to lay flat on the bed. He sat half leaning on the pillows beside his alpha mate, curled around him. Keith turned his face into Lance’s stomach and closed his eyes. Lance rubbed his chest.

He liked seeing Keith like this, even if his rut was unexpected. Over the years they’d been together, Keith had stopped hating his ruts, and they’d become far less painful for him. He’d learned to trust Lance and Shiro, and having their scents with him soothed him now. His relaxed disposition was very different to how he used to be. Lance never wanted to see Keith thrash and whimper and panic through a painful rut again. He didn’t have those sorts of ruts anymore, even if he was still tense and uneasy without his mates around. He trusted his mates to take care of him, which was exactly what they always did.

“You’ll be okay,” Lance promised him, as he rubbed gentle circles on Keith’s chest. “Then we’ll have real fun on our holiday, hmm?”


	63. Keith/Lance - Noise

It was a well-known fact that Lance liked his beauty sleep. He had a routine that he insisted on following, even when he went away on holiday, or stayed at a friend’s house for the night. He was prone to dark circles under his eyes, and was a bit of a restless sleeper, so his routine ensured he got a good night’s sleep, and that his skin didn’t suffer. 

He’d been a bit embarrassed by it at first, especially when he and his boyfriend were just starting out. Thankfully Keith didn’t seem to mind at all. He’d been a bit fascinated by it, actually, and would sometimes sit on the edge of the bath to watch Lance apply creams and moisturizers to his face. He even let Lance apply the products to him too, when Keith felt like it, or when Lance thought he really needed it.

Still, he liked his sleep, and he liked making sure his skin was okay. Work and college responsibilities stressed him out, and sometimes sleep was a luxury he couldn’t afford, but now that things were settling in his life, he’d hoped he’d get more sleep. It seemed like an easy enough task to accomplish.

Until he and Keith moved into their first apartment together.

It was a quaint little place. The apartment building was close to their college, and not too far from their work places. It was decently priced and already came with utilities in the kitchen, so they only needed to furnish the living room and bedroom. The apartment was sort of small, but it seemed perfect for them. The building even had a nice garden.

Unfortunately, not everything could be as great as it seemed.

They had noisy neighbours.

Very noisy neighbours.

The people above them were rowdy. They banged around at all hours of the night, and despite being near silent during the day, their noisiness cancelled out any sympathy Lance had for them. The little old lady in the apartment two doors down from them liked to vacuum at all hours of the day. Her vacuum made this horrid choking noise when it had been on for too long, so every few hours there would come the jolting noise of the machine throwing a hissy fit. Not to mention the apartment below them, where Lance was sure they were raising the loudest screaming child ever. Tantrums every hour would drive even the most patient of people mad.

At least Lance wasn’t the only one bothered by it. After spending a month being woken at least twice a night, he and Keith put in a formal complaint. Their kinder, quieter neighbours had put in complaints as well, and eventually the night time disturbances lessened. They didn’t completely disappear, but it was certainly less obtrusive.

He and Keith tried to make light of it.

“I bet the kid downstairs will kick up a fuss tonight,” Lance said, as they relaxed in bed one night. They only had the bedside lamps on, and while Keith scrolled on his phone, Lance was rubbing his favourite cream under his eyes. The dead of winter made the bathroom too cold for him to stand for long, so he’d taken to doing it in bed, and kept wet wipes close by to clean his hands.

“No, it’ll definitely be the demon vacuum,” Keith said, without looking away from his phone. “She didn’t vacuum all day. The dust bunnies would be torturing her by now.”

Lance snorted. Don’t get him wrong, all of his neighbours were quite nice people. The little old lady directed them to the best bakery in town after they’d helped her move some furniture, and the kid down stairs was very polite, despite his tantrums. It was just the noise everyone had a problem with.

When Lance was finished putting cream under his eyes, he cleaned up his hands and switched off his light. Snuggling down into their sheets always made him feel a flutter in his stomach. He and Keith had chosen these sheets for themselves. Furnishing their apartment together had made Lance endlessly happy, and it had felt like a step in their relationship that had brought them closer, oddly enough. And besides, the sheets were really comfy.

Sensing that Lance wanted to sleep, Keith turned off his phone, and then the bedside lamp. He pulled the covers back a little to get under them comfortably and shuffled closer, pressing his cold toes against Lance’s legs. 

Sleeping next to Keith turned out to be more peaceful than Lance thought it would be. Keith was like his own personal heater, and was generally quite clingy in bed. He always threw an arm or leg over Lance in his sleep, or dragged him closer. It was nice. Lance liked the affection.

He supposed he could deal with the noise if it meant he got to sleep with Keith beside him every night.


	64. Keith/Lance/Shiro - Anger

Lance knew the limits of Shiro’s anger very well.

Firstly, Shiro rarely ever got _angry._ Frustrated, yes, and disappointed, most definitely. But truly furious? It was a very rare, very out of place situation. He was an alpha with built-in control, one who could soothe situations with ease and keep a level head when any other number of people, alpha or otherwise, would have lost it. 

That was one of the reasons Lance and Keith had mated with him. They’d been together for some time, mated as omega and alpha, but after a while they’d needed something… more. Lance and Keith worked well together, after they’d gotten over their little rivalry. Their opposing attitudes kept things interesting, but a deeply rooted needed for physical affection and undoubting loyalty was what truly drew them together. Lance trusted Keith with himself more than anyone else in the world. They may bicker and argue, and sometimes become too passionate too fast, but there was a trust there that could only come from a healthy, mated bond. 

Still, some pairings, regardless of gender designations, required a stabilising presence. Keith was impulsive and Lance could be stubbornly argumentative, and even with their unconditional attachments, having Shiro with them just felt right. It was hard to explain, but they both knew Shiro was meant to be their alpha. Getting him to believe that had been a challenge of its own, but they’d eventually managed.

Now their little duo had become a triad, and they were all the more better for it.

As he’d mentioned, for the most part, Shiro never got angry. In fact, he was rather skilled at easing the anger of his mates, sometimes without them even realising. It was partly due to his older age, Lance thought, and the experience that came along with that. Shiro was good at handling their moods and their instincts, and was equally as talented at controlling their own. He could separate himself from a situation to asses and control it in a way that left everyone with room to vent, room to safely collect their thoughts. 

It was one of the biggest reasons Lance loved him. He knew it was the same for Keith too, even if he was more reluctant to admit that.

So Lance knew the extent of Shiro’s anger well. He’d tested boundaries in an overtly curious way, because of course he had, and he knew what to look for when Shiro was becoming irritated. Shiro didn’t like it when Lance and Keith argued – depending on how loud their voices became and how eagerly they tried to irritate one another, Shiro could flip between exasperation and disappointment faster than Lance could blink. He’d become mildly frustrated by small inconveniences as most people did, like when they ran out of milk or if his favourite television show was abruptly rescheduled. He’d become the type of scared where people were almost angry, but weren’t, when something happened to his mates – like if Lance did something stupid and ended up injuring himself, or if Keith left his phone uncharged and they were unable to reach him for hours. Anger was not an emotion Shiro felt all too often. 

When Shiro became angry, truly angry, even Lance felt frightened of him. It was not something he liked to see, and it had only happened once or twice. The rational part of his mind always reminded him that Shiro had never expressed anger towards his mates – it was never about them, but always some outside source – but it was still frightening. Not in the sense that Lance was frightened of Shiro, or scared Shiro would hurt them, but rather he was frightened _for_ Shiro. Only horrible things could set off Shiro’s anger, and Lance needed to know his mate was okay, that he knew he was safe with them, loved dearly by them.

It happened once, when the three of them were out – Shiro’s angry instincts rose up.

Thinking back on it, Lance didn’t blame him. What had happened was frightening, even more so because it happened to him, to him and Keith, when Shiro wasn’t there. But it wasn’t any of their faults, no matter how much Shiro wanted to blame himself.

They went out for dinner and drinks. It was something they did often, especially when they could afford it. Unfortunately, their usual place was closed while the owners were on holidays, so they tried somewhere new. They’d never been to that side of town and didn’t know anyone who frequented the establishment, but it had seemed nice enough.

None of them really liked drinking. Lance was partial to a glass of wine or a sweet cocktail in the privacy of his home, and both of his mates drank beer and that sort of thing socially, but they had no intention of getting drunk. Keith was driving them home, so he stuck to soft drink, and Lance had one drink after eating. Shiro did the same. Neither one of them were remotely drunk, not even close to tipsy. 

Lance had gone to the bar to get them more drinks – all non-alcoholic, for the record. Maybe a snack too, is what he’d been thinking as he leaned against the bar top, scanning the menu. The restaurant was designed strangely, with an eating establishment and a very bar-like area separated by a wall with wide glass windows. The side for eating and conversation was well-lit and pleasant. The other side was filled with drunk people and dark corners, which was fine if that’s what one wanted, but Lance wasn’t into the party scene. The restaurant was closed by then, so any food or water had to be ordered at the bar.

He’d been waiting for a bartender when some drunk, grubby alpha had come up behind him and grabbed him by the ass. Lance had yelped, trying to squirm away, but the hands had only held him tighter. He knew instantly it wasn’t one of his mates. They didn’t grab him like he was a piece of meat, and they certainly didn’t drag his ass into their crotches in the middle of a bar.

“What are you doing?” Lance had snapped, baring his teeth. 

“Feeling up the merchandise,” the alpha had purred, pulling Lance into his space. His breath reeked of alcohol, and he was big, even for an alpha – almost the same size as Shiro. “Fancy a trip to the back room, sweetheart?”

Lance hissed, his fingers tight around one of the alpha’s wrists, trying to pry his hands away. “No, I’m mated,” he’d said with all the venom he could muster.

“That makes it even more fun,” the alpha said. His grip was too tight for Lance to get away from, and he started dragging Lance away from the bar, where the lights were dimmer. “Come on, omega, I have something you’ll love.”

“I said no,” Lance growled. He tried to glance for his mates, but he couldn’t see them from the bar. Unease made his scent bloom, sour and unpleasant. 

“Don’t be like that.” All the faux charm had disappeared from the alpha’s voice then. “Just stay quiet and we’ll both enjoy this.”

“I said _no,”_ Lance snarled, the words coming out with a bite so fierce that a few of the dunk people sitting by round tables looked over at him. His scent was becoming sharper, louder; calling for his alphas. An omega’s scent was one of their strongest biological weapons, designed to protect them, to repel or drawn in alphas depending on the situation. Anyone mated to an omega became hardwired to their scent, able to tell shifts in mood and sometimes even changes in health with just a small whiff. Anything Lance had been producing then was one big red warning sign. 

Keith found him first. He might have gone looking for Lance, or maybe the fact that they’d been mated for longer made him more sensitive to Lance’s scent, but he was there in an instant, almost like he’d emerged from the shadows. 

“What do you think you’re doing?” He’d demanded, voice low and deep, buried in aggressive alpha instincts. He was smaller than the alpha, but that didn’t mean he was any less of an alpha himself. He was stocky and strong, sleekly muscled in the same way a jaguar was. Anyone who underestimated him was in for a nasty shock.

“What’s this?” The alpha sneered. He looked down at Keith like he expected Keith to start whimpering and begging for forgiveness. “A little alpha come to rescue you, omega? Come now, this little peanut couldn’t satisfy you like I can.”

Lance reared back, disgusting and insulted on behalf of his mate. A snarl was ready at his lips, but Keith was faster, too riled up by the scent of his distressed omega. 

It happened quite fast. Lance’s memory of the situation was a little fuzzy, but he remembered being pulled away from Keith by the drunk alpha, and crying out when his wrist was twisted the wrong way. Keith had reacted to the noise, and in the resulting squabble, Lance had been thrown to the ground. A solid punch to the face sent Keith sprawling down next to him.

Then Shiro was there.

His scent had never smelt so sharp. It was acrid and deep, like someone had set it on fire, bad enough that people started to lean away from him. He looked twice as big as he normally did, hackles raised and teeth bared. 

In that moment, he would have done anything to protect his mates.

And protect them he did.

The drunk alpha didn’t stand a chance, not against Shiro’s wrath. The employees didn’t step in until Shiro backed down – even angry, he knew when to stop. Once he felt like he’d defended his mates, once he’d laid claim to them, he turned his attention away from the pitiful alpha and back to his mates.

Keith had gathered Lance in his arms the moment he was in reach. His arms had clamped around Lance’s waist like a vice, tucking him close. A low rumble had started in his chest and it hadn’t stopped. There was a bruise spreading across his jaw, one Lance gently examined when he managed to squirm a hand free. He’d felt embarrassed and scared, and although more people were staring at the drunk alpha, he’d wanted to be anywhere else.

Thankfully Shiro had understood. He pulled both his mates to their feet without straining a single muscle and had them clutched to him like he never intended on letting go. 

The establishment compensated their bill to divert some of Shiro’s anger, but he had them out of there right after they’d gathered their things. Shiro pinned them both to the side of the car, content with the relative privacy of the parking lot. He caged them in with his arms and scented them furiously, growling until Keith quietened and accepted the possessive affection as easily as Lance did.

“Shiro,” Keith murmured, when it became clear their alpha still wasn’t in complete control of himself. “Shiro, we’re okay. Calm down.”

Rumbling, Shiro nosed at Keith’s jaw, baring his teeth at the scent of the bruise. 

Lance pawed at Shiro’s chest, letting out a quiet purr. With Keith’s silence reassurances and Lance’s gentle noises, Shiro slowly but surely relaxed. Tension eased out of him, and he lowered his arms, sighing. 

“I’m sorry,” he murmured, as he turned his face away from them. “I don’t like losing control around my mates.”

Lance pressed his forehead under Shiro’s chin and closed his eyes. “You never do,” he mumbled. “You keep us safe.”

“You could have gotten hurt,” Shiro argued, voice low and pained. “Keith did get hurt.”

“I was defending our omega,” Keith protested.

The comment made Shiro huff out a weak laugh. He nuzzled Keith’s hair before turning his attention to Lance, sniffing him for injures or distress. With his mates by his side, Lance’s scent had stopped emitting the sour scent of fear. Shiro seemed reassured by that.

“I’m okay,” Lance told him. He was a little shaken up, but okay. “I just want to go home.”

Shiro nodded. He cast a glance at Keith. “You’re okay to drive?”

“More than okay.”

“I’m going to sit in the back with Lance, then.”

It took a while for Shiro to fully settle. He hated that he’d lost so much control with his mates nearby, that he’d let himself get so angry. Lance and Keith spent all night reassuring him that he wasn’t any less of an alpha for losing control. They couldn’t count the number of times their instincts had taken over, and Shiro slipping up didn’t made him a bad alpha.

Especially not when it was to protect his mates.

Shiro was the perfect alpha for them, and they’d make sure he always knew that.


	65. Keith/Lance - Coincidences

The idea behind the soulmate app was simple: through the app’s masterful use of advanced technology, and when combined with DNA tests and some secret soulmate-finding formula, a person could be electronically linked to their guaranteed soulmate. The app censored personal information – anything that could lead to an “inorganic” meeting – but otherwise it allowed the consenting participants to speak without knowing each other. It sounded impossible, or farfetched, but the effectiveness?

One-hundred percent.

So of course Lance signed up as soon as he was age. He’d had no luck stumbling across his soulmate on his own, and the app seemed like a good place to go. Almost every unmatched person with a decent internet connection was on it. Surely his elusive soulmate would be, too?

No luck. At least not for a year, in which Lance’s bad luck continued to plague him. The day he got the notification that his soulmate had signed up for the app was the best day of his life. He’d sent a barrage of excited messages straight away, most of which had been censored because he hadn’t thought any of them through, but it didn’t matter. He had just been so glad to finally know there was someone out there for him that he just hadn’t met yet.

For the most part, the app was used to communicate. It was a capture and edit style app, and although it had a chat function on the right side of the screen, it was easier to draw or write on the image instead. The tablet the app was on was designed specifically for soulmates, and although the company that made it added in features that let the tablet be used for social media, study, internet browsing, and work, Lance mostly used it to talk to K.

That was his soulmate, by the way.

See, the app’s censorship was pretty impossible to get around. Very impossible, actually. No one had ever cracked it, or hacked into the code to loosen its bonds. It was impenetrable. Lance was sure the deep web had never hated an app more than they hated the soulmate one, even if they all used it (because pretty much everyone used it). But Lance didn’t need to get around the censors, no matter how hungry he was to know every single detail about his soulmate. 

Just knowing him was enough.

Finding out that he was a _he_ in the first place had been simple. The app censored things, yes, but when K had sent him a picture of his room, completely casual, Lance had decided that he was definitely male. His bedsheets had been deep red, and there were clothes strewn across a chair in the corner of the room that were definitely masculine. Plus, K just had a male vibe about him. Lance had no problem with that.

One of the things the app censored were names. Lance had tried to write his in the first rush of messages he’d sent K, just something flippant – _hi my name is Lance oh my god you’re real._ Completely smooth. Of course, the app had blurred out any letter after the L, so that’s what K called him. It was the same vice versa, obviously. 

It had been fun testing the censorship. Lance sent a picture of his face, and it was blurred, but not enough for Keith to be unable to discern his skin colour. Lance got a nervous, blurry picture in return – pale skin and dark hair. Lance had taken a random picture of the living room while talking with K only for K to point out all his picture frames had been blurred out, some with photos of his family, others with awards addressed to a specific person. K had walked across his street to take a picture of his house, but that had been blurred too. When he sent a picture of his cat, the little identification tag was blurred, but not the cute kitty. It seemed that pets were safe. 

The censorship came from the app’s desire to encourage organic first meetings. That’s how it had to be done before technology came along. And considering the app’s creators were the only ones in the entire world with the soulmate-finding formula, their rules had to be abided by. Lance thought it was kind of romantic, if a bit frustrating. Soulmates met all the time – locked eyes across crowds, bumped shoulders in the street, a shared coffee order. That sort of thing. Little coincidences. 

Lance was still waiting for his.

But talking to K helped. He felt like the moment he met K, he was going have no hesitations falling in love. Through the app, he’d learned about the type of person K was, and what he wanted from life. In return, he’d shared parts of himself with K he wouldn’t dare give to anyone else. They knew each other deeply and intimately, in every sense but physical. 

Sometimes K was better at comforting him than anyone else. Lance had been very upset one evening, overwhelmed by all his responsibilities and the things that had gone wrong recently, least of all that they still hadn’t met. K had hated that Lance was upset, but had hated that he hadn’t been able to comfort Lance like he wanted to even more. 

So he’d sent Lance pictures. Dozens of them, all with little drawings he’d made. The tablets came with pencil-like styluses for ease of communication, and Keith had wielded it like he was a born artist. He’d drawn little cat ears, whiskers and curling tails on his socked feet, and a fluffy ferret peeking out from behind his television, and skinny arms wrapped around a bar of chocolate with an arrow pointing at them declaring them to be “his pretty L, the chocolate hoarder”. 

Not only had it made Lance laugh, but it made him feel much closer to K. He’d sent K a picture of the flowers his mother kept on the dining room table and told him he couldn’t wait until the day he could give K flowers, ones just for him. He’d even drawn little hearts around the bouquet, hoping that K felt as loved and as adored as Lance did then. 

He knew that one day they’d stumble across one another and everything would be perfect.

He’d wait impatiently until then.


	66. Keith/Lance - Approval

Keith liked Lance’s apartment.

It wasn’t much bigger than his, but there were more windows, and it faced the sun in the morning. He had a windowsill full of thriving flowers and another full of herbs he used to cook with, and his bathroom didn’t have any mould in the corners like Keith’s did. Sure, there was mess, but being at Lance’s just felt… nice. It was somewhere that wasn’t just his apartment. 

Realistically, he knew they spent more time at Lance’s than at his own place. It was closer to their workplaces and had better transport facilities close by. There was even a bus stop right across the road. Keith just preferred to be there, not only because it was nicer, or because it was a change from his own lonely apartment, but because Lance seemed more at ease where he was familiar. He was a friendly fixture in the apartment, one that made everything seem full of life the moment he stepped through the threshold. His home was an extension of himself and Keith wanted to be surrounded by him always.

There had only ever been one thing that Keith found unsettling about the place Lance lived. It wasn’t the loud neighbours upstairs, who seemed to think vacuuming at midnight was as acceptable as blending up a smoothie at the crack of dawn. It wasn’t even the strange, old smell in the foyer, which Lance and most other residents of the building insisted came from the fake flowers on the front desk, which looked like they’d been there before the building was even built. No, it was something a little closer to home.

It was Lance’s cat.

Blue was a pretty cat, as far as cats went. Blue was a Russian Blue breed, with a long body, long legs, and elegantly high shoulders. She was a sleek cat, built from fluid lines that moved more like a shadow than a living creature. As far as Keith knew, Lance had rescued Blue off the street when he’d found Blue as an abandoned kitten. The cat was fiercely protective of Lance and anything she considered Lance’s territory, which included the house. 

It wasn’t like Blue was mean. Sure, she wasn’t much of a hisser and didn’t swipe at someone unless they tried to touch her stomach (excluding Lance, who she rolled over for), but she was… strange.

She had this habit of staring. Not a curious stare, or even that kind of slow-blinking stare some cats did when they were checking out something new. Rather, Blue liked to watch. No blinking, no tail twitching, no bared teeth. It felt more like a glare, actually, and as soon as she realised Keith was in her territory she’d come out to greet him with it. It didn’t matter if Keith was in the kitchen with Lance, or if they were slumped together on the couch, or even if they were relaxing in bed, Blue would be there.

“It means she likes you!” Lance insisted.

They both knew it definitely did not mean that.

Keith had a feeling Blue was just being protective of Lance. He was a strange human coming into her territory, moving in on her partner. Considering how perfect Lance was, Keith supposed he could sympathise with the cat. When Lance was around, he told her that, even if it made him feel stupid.

“Look, I think we share an opinion here,” he’d told the cat, while Lance went to the bathroom. Blue had been sitting on one of the dining room chairs, watching him with her big, eerie eyes. “We both like Lance, right? We know Lance is the best, don’t we? We want him to be happy and okay and have everything he’s ever wanted.”

Blue didn’t reply, because she was a cat and could not speak, but something in her eyes unnerved him. She hadn’t blinked, but her tail had twitched a tad, as if to say _go on._ So, when Keith was alone with the cat, he did.

“Lance looks good in that sweater, doesn’t he? Makes his hands look cute.”

“He sings in the shower and his voice isn’t the best but I really like it. He sounds happy.”

“How does he even keep these plants alive? He must be magical.”

“Those eyes of his… I swear there’s no prettier blue on the planet.”

For the most part, he was sure the cat agreed with him. She started blinking at him, and that was definitely a sign of approval. Anything but solid staring was a move in the right direction.

Once, when they were both tired from work and lazily making dinner, and Lance had dropped a bowl. It had shattered into a hundred pieces, scattered across the tiled kitchen floor loud enough to startle Keith, who was in the other room. Lance’s little yelp had Keith running.

It was only a small cut on the side of Lance’s foot, but it made Keith’s heart lurch. Lance’s feet were bare so he couldn’t move until Keith had cleaned up all the shards, and only then could Keith clean Lance’s wound. He made Lance sit at the dining table while he kneeled on the floor, tending to the small cut and cleaning up the blood. 

“Does it sting much?” 

“Nah, hardly at all,” Lance said, grinning down at him. “You’re spoiling me, babe. It hardly hurts a bit.”

Keith had rolled his eyes, fond, but he didn’t want to leave anything to chance. 

He didn’t notice Blue watching him until he was packing up the first aid kit. The cat was stretched out on the chair across from where Lance had been sitting, curled up under the safety of the table. She’d looked more relaxed than she ever had around Keith – instead of sitting in a shape very reminiscent of a loaf of bread, she was sprawled out like a puddle, tail flicking curiously.

After that, she liked him.

The intimidating staring stopped, and she didn’t immediately scope him out when he came over. Lance was delighted by the change in Blue’s behaviour, and even though Keith was wary, a little part of him was desperate to have his boyfriend’s cat’s approval. That was something he never thought he’d think. 

Eventually, Blue even started to treat him like she treated Lance. She’d sit next to him on the couch, and even let him scratch under her chin. Her belly was still a strong no-go, but that didn’t matter. Some things a cat would only share with her most beloved human, and that was definitely Lance. Keith was just happy that she liked him.

Her affection for him was really proved when Lance got a visitor, and Blue hung around Keith with her stare back in place. She’d crawled onto his knees while he sat on the couch, much to his surprise, and planted herself there, taking her preferred bread-like stance while she fixed the visitor with a cold, calculating look. Keith was pretty sure she would have hissed if the visitor came close, just because he now counted as a part of Lance’s territory. 

“See, I told you she likes you,” Lance told him, grinning smugly. 

Keith just rolled his eyes. He liked the cat too.


	67. Lance/Shiro - Dreamcatcher

It wasn’t often that Lance had bad dreams. As a kid, he used to have them frequently, and they’d only gone away when one of his parents stayed with him until he was sleep and put up a special dreamcatcher that he believed had worked a charm. The night terrors had stopped once his parents were there to comfort him, and he believed that the dreamcatcher was taking them before away they could hurt him.

Now, as an adult, he wasn’t often plagued by them. The bad dreams only showed up when he was very stressed and struggling to find sleep, or if he’d eaten something extremely sugary right before bed. Caffeine was not an appropriate late night snack either, and sometimes when he was too hyped up on things that weren’t designed with a proper night’s sleep in mind, he’d end up having weird, disconcerting dreams that were close enough to night mares to bother him.

His boyfriend was good at chasing away the nightmares, too. Shiro didn’t seem to care that Lance still got them, despite being an adult, and he never made fun of Lance for wanting to hang his old dreamcatcher in their bedroom (he was superstitious about it, and had even taken it to hang in his college dorm rooms). 

For the most part, sleeping in the same bed as Shiro was its own kind of cathartic experience. Shiro wasn’t a bed hog, and was more than willing to cuddle up as much as Lance wanted. He was bigger and broader than Lance, and ran warmer, so Lance loved to sleep pressed against him when the nights became colder. They usually went to bed at the same time, and listening to Shiro’s gentle inhales and exhales always lured Lance straight into sleep. It was a very rare occasion that he was left tossing and turning when Shiro was there with him.

When Shiro found out that Lance fell asleep easier with someone with him, he made a habit of accompanying Lance to bed, even if he wasn’t going to sleep. At times he stayed up later, but he’d always spare ten minutes to sit with Lance in bed, drawing gentle, swirling patterns up Lance’s arm with the tips of his fingers. Lance had never thought he’d find someone so sweet, someone who was so attentive to his needs. He still had bad dreams sometimes, as he assumed most people did, but it was never devastating. Shiro would be there when his eyes opened, and that alone was enough to comfort him.

It was like Shiro had become his own special dreamcatcher, and Lance couldn’t have loved him any more than he already did for it.


	68. Keith/Lance/Shiro - Emergency

It was common knowledge that male omega pregnancies were delicate. A slight bump, a change in hormones, a premature birth – almost any slight complication could endanger the child. Modern medicine and highly trained doctors had drastically increased the survival rate of male omega infants over the last couple of decades, but that didn’t completely erase the risks of a pregnancy.

As such, it was uncommon for an alpha, or any partner for that matter, to leave their pregnant omega. Even more so once they started showing.

But Lance’s alphas had left.

Not for any bad reasons, or because they wanted to. In fact, they protested the idea greatly, and had argued a lot before a decision had been made. But some sacrifices had to be made, even if none of them liked it. Lance was no longer working, not since he’d started to show – he did more work around the house to compensate, and had even been given some work he could do from home, but they were on a bit of a tighter budget without his income. His alphas both had well-paying jobs, and unfortunately those jobs also involved important business conferences.

It was only three days. What could go wrong in three days?

Lance supposed he jinxed himself. The first night without his mates there to warm him in their big bed, he’d managed to convince himself that they were just in the lounge room, and would be joining him in bed later. Both of his mates had left their pyjamas and pillows behind, instead taking spares, so he could have their scents nearby while he slept. He didn’t have the most restful night, but he got a decent amount of sleep, even if waking up to an empty house was cold and disappointing. 

The second night, he knew something was wrong. Nothing bad had happened – no bumps, no sickness, no bad reactions to dinner or anything he’d eaten that day. He’d gone out to get groceries, had spent some time with Hunk, and had talked with his mates for two hours before their voices had lulled him to sleep, curled up in between their pillows.

He generally didn’t wake up at night unless his baby wanted something, and even then it was a rare occurrence. Sometimes his bladder would suddenly be aching, or his stomach would churn, and he’d bolt for the bathroom regardless of who was sleeping beside him. Two or three times he’d woken up ravenous, and had trotted off to the kitchen to eat whatever caught his fancy before slinking back to bed, his mates none the wiser.

But this time was different. He woke up in pain, his stomach aching, and let out a long and pitiful whine before realising his mates weren’t with him. The sudden spike of panic and loneliness that went through him made all the air in his lungs shrivel up. He was alone, pregnant, and had no protection or comfort from his mates, and something was very wrong with his baby.

Pushing himself upright, he cupped one hand under his baby bump and tried to convince himself he wasn’t going to hurl. He slipped a hand under his shirt, and then under the hem of his pants, but felt no slick or blood. That was a good sign, right?

His phone was under his pillow where he’d taken to leaving it after talking to his mates at night. The light from it burned his eyes, and he barely managed to keep himself calm as he shakily called Shiro’s number. 

Tears stung his eyes when it went to voicemail. It was late, his mates were asleep, but a part of him fell deeper into panic when Shiro didn’t answer. “Shiro?” He whimpered, when the voicemail tone beeped. “Something- something’s wrong, my stomach really hurts, I can’t- I don’t know what to do, something’s wrong–”

A pained whimper cut him off, and then the voicemail tone beeped again, signalling the end of the recording. He stared down at his phone before doubling over, putting his face into his pillows. He was breathing hard now, breath coming out wet and foggy. He swallowed once before pawing at his phone again, pushing through the aches in his belly.

This time he called Hunk. He was sniffling by the time the phone started to ring, and could have cried out when Hunk answered.

“Lance?” Hunk asked, sounding more asleep than awake. “Why are you ringing me at–?”

“Something’s wrong!” He cried, wringing his fingers in his sleepshirt. “My stomach hurts and- and Shiro didn’t answer, please Hunk–”

“Hey, hey, calm down buddy.” Hunk was instantly awake, voice prickled with concern. “Have you called emergency services?”

“No,” Lance hiccupped. He scrubbed at his face and moaned when his stomach clenched. “It really hurts.”

“Okay, just breathe, yeah?” There was a rustling noise, but Lance focused on Hunk’s voice, and tried to take deep breaths. Hunk had been his best friend for as long as he remembered, and had always known how to soothe Lance’s sometimes frantic instincts. This was one of those times. “I’m going to call emergency services, and then come and get you, okay? But I need you to breath for me.”

Lance clenched and unclenched his fingers. He listened to Hunk rustle around his room, and caught Shay’s muffled voice – Hunk’s lovely girlfriend. They’d have to use her phone to call because Lance would definitely panic if Hunk hung up on him. 

Restless, Lance shifted towards the edge of the bed, wincing as the pain in his stomach gave a harsh jerk. He stood up on shaky legs and paced the length of the bed, holding his stomach. “Hunk?” He whispered.

“Still here, buddy,” Hunk reassured. “Can you tell me what the pain is like? I’m on the phone with the paramedics.”

“It- it hurts, more than a cramp,” he said. “My stomach is all tense.”

“Does your spine hurt?”

“Yes.”

“Where does it hurt the most? What part of your stomach?”

“The bottom.”

“Okay, okay that’s good Lance, give me a second.”

Lance had to take a seat on the bed again. He felt like his knees were going to give out. For a moment he felt like he was going to throw up, but the feeling passed after a few moments.

“I’m on my way now Lance,” Hunk said, after some muffled talking on the other end of the phone. “Do you think you can open the front door for me?”

“Y-yeah.” One of the reasons Shiro had chosen this house for his omega and his subordinate alpha was because of how close it was to their friends, especially Hunk. He knew how much Lance relied on Hunk, and how close the two were, and he always wanted to make sure Lance had someone to go to if his mates weren’t around. 

After taking in a deep breath, Lance limped out of the bedroom. He unlocked the front door and collapsed on one of the living room couches, fanning his face with his hand. He still had his phone clutched to his ear, and he couldn’t help but whine, something high-pitched and frightened. Hunk, an alpha, rumbled back at him, low and protective. 

Hunk was there within minutes, and Shay was with him. He came to Lance’s side immediately while Shay disappeared into the bedroom, reappearing a moment later with the jacket Shiro had left on the rocking chair Lance had wanted for their bedroom. She draped it over his shoulders, and he breathed in the scent of his alpha, trying to let it calm him.

“We’re going to take you the hospital,” Hunk said, as he untangled Lance’s fingers from his phone. “What’s the name of your doctor, Lance? I’m going to call them.”

Lance pointed them out on his phone and accepted the glass of water Shay had gotten for him. She had to steady his hand as he groaned in pain, but encouraged him to drink when the pain passed. “I’m calling Allura,” Shay said, her scent tinged with worry. She passed a gentle hand through Lance’s hair before stepping aside, letting Hunk take over.

“Keep breathing,” Hunk reminded him. He put his big hands on Lance’s arms, trying to warm him up. “You’re going to be alright, buddy.”

“I want my mates,” he whimpered. 

“I know,” Hunk soothed. His scent was comforting and Lance leaned into it, letting Hunk wrap him in a warm hug. “Everything will be okay.”

The emergency services arrived before Shay got a hold of Allura, who’d gone on the business trip with Keith and Shiro. They took one look at Lance and loaded him into the ambulance. Fear coloured his scent sour as they pressed little sensors to his stomach and felt around where he said his stomach was hurting. The nurse in the back of the ambulance was an omega like him, and he was being very gentle with Lance, completely focused.

At the hospital, Hunk and Shay found him, pushing their way through the nurses. Even if only immediate family was meant to be around, they let the pair through as soon as Lance let out a pitched whine.

“His mates are away on a business trip,” Hunk was telling the nurses as he let Lance cuddle into his side, “my mate is trying to call them now–”

“Allura!” Shay suddenly exclaimed. “You need to put Shiro on the phone please, it’s Lance – no, we’re at the hospital, just get his mates please–”

Lance watched her intently, letting the nurses prod and poke and take his readings. They had him lie down, and he shifted nervously as they pulled up his pyjama shirt, exposing his baby bump. “Is my baby okay?”

No one answered him. He looked at their faces, but couldn’t decide if their expressions were good or bad. Shay appeared beside him, pushing through the throng of people to press her phone against his ear, but he couldn’t focus on that, not even with the promise of his mates. 

“Is my baby okay?” He said, louder and shriller. 

“Here, Lance,” Shay told him.

He shakily held the phone to his ear, taking another deep breath. “Hello?”

“Lance! Lance, baby, are you okay? What’s going on?”

It was Shiro. Lance clutched at the phone, trying to sort out his words as he watched the nurses work. “I don’t know,” he eventually whimpered. “It hurts.”

“It’s alright baby, we’re on our way, just stay strong for me okay?” Shiro said. He sounded stable, but Lance could hear the current of panic hiding in his voice. “Here, Keith wants to talk to you.”

“Lance?”

“Keith…”

“We’re on our way now,” Keith said. He sounded far more stressed than Shiro did. “Are you okay? Is the baby okay?”

“I don’t know.”

“We’re coming now,” he said again. “I love you Lance.”

“I love you too.”

The nurses took the phone from him then, and ushered his friends from the room. He wanted to stay on the phone with his mates, wanted their comfort, but he had to focus on his baby. 

 

Come morning, and things had calmed down. The doctors told him that the pain he had was a small complication his pregnancy, something that was common for male omegas. He was lucky he’d responded as quickly as he had, they said. Getting to the hospital so fast had helped stabilise the baby, and the medication they gave him for the remainder of the night eased his pain. 

Lance only caught a few unrestful hours of sleep before waiting up for his mates. Hunk and Shay stayed with him, soothing him to sleep and petting his hair to keep him calm. Shay disappeared back to his house for an hour to get him some things. She came back with the soft blanket from their bed and Keith’s pillow so that he had Keith’s scent, along with Shiro’s from the jacket he still had. 

The nurses had made him change into hospital scrubs, so he was happy to have clothes from home – Shay had brought him some of his own, too. He was tucked under the blankets, ones that Hunk obsessively fixed any time he noticed a wrinkle, waiting for his mates to come. 

He cried when they finally scrambled into the room. Both were dishevelled, looking like they hadn’t had any sleep all night. They crowded around him the moment they squeezed through the door, touching his face and his fingers and his stomach with careful, searching hands. He’d never been more relieved to have his mates with him. He was crying so hard that Hunk had to explain to his mates that he was okay, the baby was okay.

“They’re keeping him here for a week to make sure the baby is stable, and as long as he takes his medication for a while, he’ll be alright,” Hunk said. 

Shiro grasped his arm, holding him firm. “Thank you,” he said, voice incredibly serious. “I won’t ever be able to repay you for helping my mate.”

Hunk eased Shiro’s grip and patted his hand. “Don’t think anything of it,” he said, smiling a little. “Lance is my friend, and I love him too. I’d do anything to help him.”

Shiro returned his small smile. 

After saying tired goodbyes, Hunk and Shay left. Lance would be sure to thank them properly once he was better. 

“Make sure he gets some rest,” Hunk said on his way out. “He didn’t get much sleep last night.”

Keith had already squirmed his way onto the bed and had Lance tucked under his arm by then, but he nodded in reply. 

Lance pressed his nose under Keith’s chin, curling up as much as he could in the safety of his alpha’s arms. Keith was busy scenting his hair excessively, smothering Lance in his smell, but he still held Lance as gently as he possibly could. Shiro took a heavy seat on the chair Hunk vacated, picking up Lance’s hand to cradle it in his own. 

“Don’t leave again,” Lance sniffled.

“Never,” Shiro promised him, voice vicious and unhappy. He squeezed Lance’s hand, and then cupped his belly bump, like he was trying to comfort their baby too. “We should have never left in the first place.”

Keith used the sleeve of his jacket to wipe under Lance’s eyes and his nose, and in any other situation Lance would have been embarrassed by that, but he was too tired to care. Keith’s silence told Lance the same thing that Shiro’s harsh words did: that they blamed themselves, and were angry at themselves. He didn’t want them to feel that way.

“It’s not your fault,” he said, voice hoarse and tired. “Don’t be mad. It would have happened if you were there or not.”

Keith tensed, coiled with anger, but Shiro let out a comforting rumble that soothed the both of them. Shiro continued to rub Lance’s stomach, and released a comforting scent, one that eventually soothed his two mates. 

“We’ll talk about this later, alright?” He placated. Standing, he fixed the covers, and dragged his jacket over Keith, who blinked at him. “Get some rest. I’m going to talk to the doctors, get us some food, and grab some things from home, okay? I want you to stay with Lance.”

“I won’t leave,” Keith said, stubborn.

Shiro leaned over to press a kiss to his forehead. “I know. I trust you to keep him safe for me.”

Lance smiled. He couldn’t help but love the easy affection between the two of them. They never fought like a lot of alphas did; they were good at diving responsibilities and knew each other’s instincts well. 

After making sure his mates were comfortable and that there was a phone in easy reach, Shiro bent to give them each a gentle kiss. He didn’t seem to care that Lance’s breath was horrible or that his face was still wet from crying. He even pressed a kiss to Lance’s belly, lingering for a moment longer than necessary to breath in Lance’s scent. He’d once said that Lance’s scent was different near his belly, that he smelled more pregnant there, whatever that meant. It was something good, apparently. Keith had enthusiastically agreed. 

“I’ll be back in less than an hour,” Shiro said. He looked incredibly reluctant to leave, but knew that Keith wouldn’t be able to pull himself away, so he stepped back and sighed. “I love you two. Don’t get up to anything while I’m gone.”

That pulled a weak laugh from Lance. He pressed closer to Keith, smiling, and let himself relax, knowing his mates were with him and that they wouldn’t let anything happen to him or his baby.

When Shiro left, Keith adjusted the blankets again, and took over Shiro’s job of rubbing Lance’s baby bump. He kissed Lance’s forehead once, then twice, sighing. “Get some rest,” he whispered.

Lance didn’t need to be told twice. He pressed himself as close as he could to his mate and let exhaustion carry him off to an uneventful, uninterrupted sleep.


	69. Keith/Lance - Brush

Lance was a pretty vain alpha. Most of his friends knew it, his family knew it, he knew it. And he didn’t think it was a bad thing. He liked to feel pretty, and liked to take care of his appearance. For the most part it had been a way to focus his attention – he’d always been a little scatterbrained. His wellbeing routines were as much a hobby as anything.

It wasn’t something that was limited to himself, either. All his sisters loved his homemade face scrubs and his brothers came to him for skin advice knowing he’d be able to fix their problems with ease. His littlest siblings and cousins all chose him as the designated hair-braider, and he was the best at painting nails. 

He just liked making people feel happy and relaxed. It had surprised him how relaxed people could become with a little self-care. He loved having his baby cousins fall peacefully asleep on his lap while he gently filed down their little nails. And he loved it when his mother unwittingly dozed off while he was practicing new hairstyles on her pretty brown locks. There was just some deep, instinctual part of him that preened at the idea of caring for his loved ones.

Obviously, with that in mind, the same applied to his omega.

Keith wasn’t very interested in self-care at all. No one expected Keith to be an omega in the same way they didn’t expect Lance to be an alpha. Although Lance was taller than Keith by a mere handful of inches, Keith was broader, and definitely more muscled. He had a harsh but handsome jawline and a fierceness in his eyes that spoke of aggression unusual for an omega. 

Still, Lance loved him, bad hair and all. 

And he really liked pampering him. All his instincts demanded that he care for his omega, that he make Keith feel comfortable when he was sick and safe when he was going through his cycle. He liked to do all the romantic things people on the internet claimed to do: make tea, create a little nest, apply facemasks. He loved it even more when Keith let Lance involve him in it, too. It wasn’t often that Keith relented to Lance’s insistent pouting, but even he grew to admit that Lance’s pampering was rather enjoyable. 

Lance had noticed that the closer Keith came to his heat, the more he could get away with. Keith was more willing to accept cups of tea, and if he was feeling particularly lazy he’d led Lance file and buff his nails or massage his hands with lightly scented moisturiser. 

But Lance’s favourite thing to do by far was to brush Keith’s hair. He’d bought a brush specifically for his omega, and whenever Keith was feeling miserable or tired, he’d let Lance calm him by smoothing out the tangles in his thick hair. He’d started asking for Lance to do it lately, which was something he didn’t think he was allowed in the past. Lance had worked hard to make Keith understand that he really enjoyed pampering people, and that he didn’t expect anything in return (though he’d never say no to the massages Keith offered him). 

He liked taking a brush to Keith’s hair. He’d have Keith sit on the floor between his legs, or stand behind him while Keith sat in a chair. Keith sometimes put his hair up, so Lance would put the band around his wrist so he didn’t lose it and work out the kink in Keith’s hair with his fingers first. To make removing the knots less painful, he’d work from the bottom, using short strokes to pry apart the tangles as gently as he could.

Sometimes he’d brush Keith’s hair for an hour before realising Keith had drifted off without him noticing. Sometimes Keith would only put up with it for ten minutes before declaring that Lance loved brushing people’s hair more than he loved him, and that always led to Lance proving he loved nothing and no one more than his mate. He’d get away with it for as long as he could, loving how such simple acts made him feel so much closer to his omega.

He knew that Keith liked it, too. That Keith felt closer to Lance when he let Lance take care of him in a way he’d never let anyone else. In some way, accepting help from others made Keith feel vulnerable, but he felt comfortable being that way around Lance. It was a fact Lance treated very preciously, knowing he’d worked hard to earn it and would never betray it.

And besides, making Keith’s hair look all neat and pretty was a great reward in itself.


	70. Lance/Shiro - Softie

The temperature outside was starting to dip down into the single digits during the day and Lance was not impressed. Night had left everything covered in a thin layer of frost, and dark clouds blocked any slight hint of sunlight from touching the frozen landscape. This would have been tolerable if the heat in the apartment he shared with his boyfriend was working.

It wasn’t like it was anybody’s fault, really. Everyone in the building was trying to stay warm – everyone on the block, for that matter. The entire block was apartment buildings so it wasn’t like anyone had a fire place to rely on. Heaters were all they had, and currently, they were just not working. Too many people had the settings turned all the way up. It was quite frustrating.

For the time being, Lance and Shiro had to rely on layered clothing and blankets. They had the dryer running and the door to their little laundry open so that the warm air could help heat up the house, and all the little cracks under doors that could let in cold air had been sealed with rolled up towels. Shiro was constantly making tea and hot chocolate, and Lance was cuddled with a hot water bottle, dividing his attention between browsing the internet and glaring at the heater.

Shiro found it funny, at least. The cold hadn’t seemed to dim his spirit the way it had with Lance, and he drifted around the apartment always doing something. If he wasn’t making tea, then he was checking on dinner, which had been stewing on the stove for an hour or two now. He’d folded the first batch of laundry that had come out of the dryer – they always had two loads a week, clothes and then towels, tea towels and other fabrics, if they weren’t washing their bedsheets too. Usually one of them would fold and the other person would put the load away, but he’d taken one look at Lance and known he would not be leaving his little nest of blankets for quite some time.

Eventually Shiro came to join him on the couch. Lance begrudgingly lifted up his blankets, inviting his boyfriend in despite the heat that would inevitably escape when he did so. The payoff was worth it, however, because Shiro was so big he was practically a walking heater himself. Lance shuffled his hot water bottle around to his other side before curling up against Shiro, who seemed more than happy to have some affection.

“My poor frozen baby,” he said, chuckling, as he tucked Lance against his side and rubbed his arm. “Are you warming up a bit yet?”

“A little,” Lance relented, pressing his cold nose to the underside of Shiro’s chin. “I don’t understand how you’re not cold!”

Shiro laughed. “I am cold, but I can deal with it. I’m keeping busy.”

Lance resisted the urge to roll his eyes. It was such a Shiro thing to say that he couldn’t help but feel a little warmer on the inside. As big and as intimidating as his boyfriend looked, he was a complete softie on the inside, and utterly adorable. 

The way he wiggled all his bulk further into Lance’s nest of blankets just to cuddle a little closer proved that.


	71. Keith/Lance/Shiro - Tight-Knit

Lance hummed to himself, thoughtful, as he browed the aisle of baby blankets. Soft towels, wash cloths, burping cloths and bibs sat folded in neat little rows. He’d visited a dozen baby stores over the last few months, but this one had his favourite fabrics, and he really wanted to find a few more things to add to his stockpile of baby necessities. 

He was five months pregnant, now. His pregnancy had been planned, though it had taken a few heats for him to catch. Male omega pregnancies could be delicate, fickle things, so he was being extra careful with himself and his health, even before he conceived. After his pregnancy was confirmed, his mates hardly let him out of their sight.

But for now, he was on his own. Well, not entirely. Although his mates hated missing any part of his pregnancy, even simple shopping trips, the bills had to be paid and they had to wait for their appointed paternity leave. In their stead, Allura had offered to go with him. She was a friend of Shiro’s who had become a friend of all of theirs, and the fact that she was their boss hadn’t really changed the companionable relationship they had. She was on holidays for a while – she’d gone to visit her home country for a few weeks, and was now spending a while settling back into this time zone to finish her allotted time off. 

Shiro trusted Allura to take care of Lance. As the top alpha in their little triad, Shiro felt incredibly responsible for the wellbeing of his subordinate alpha and his omega, even more so now that Lance was pregnant with their first child. He was reluctant to leave Lance, spending every morning scenting him and touching his stomach and making sure he had everything he needed for the day. Lance always thought he was the perfect alpha when he did that. He knew Lance didn’t want to be treated like an invalid, and cared in his own way. Keith was much the same, even if he expressed his displeasure at leaving Lance a lot more sullenly.

Still, they both trusted Allura to keep him out of trouble, and she was more than happy to spend time with him. She’d never really been around omegas, let alone pregnant ones, and delighted in hearing about all the little details. Not to mention she was just as fiercely protective of him as his alphas were. She’d once told him that her instincts demanded she protect him as if he were her omega pack mate. Lance had been very flattered to be considered so close to her. He liked to think his entire friend group was his own little pack, so to hear the sentiment returned delighted him.

“What do you think of this one?” Lance asked, as he held up the blanket he’d been considering for the past few moments.

Unlike his two lovely alphas, who immediately agreed that anything Lance picked up was perfect, Allura was far more willing to be critical. She gave the blanket a once-over, and went to answer, but then paused. She was on the phone with Shiro for work – a common occurrence, even with her on holidays – and was rolling her eyes at something Shiro was saying.

“He wants to know what colour this one is,” she told him, beyond amused.

Lance couldn’t help but grin. “Tell him it’s blue with little ducks along the bottom.”

“Blue with ducks along the bottom,” Allura repeated dutifully. She waited a moment, before saying, “He said it sounds perfect.”

Lance grinned wider, pleased. He tucked the blanket over his arm for safekeeping and turned back to the display while Allura got on with her phone call. 

He ended up leaving the store with the blanket and two new bibs, one yellow and one white. They didn’t know the gender of their baby, but Lance was determined to dress them up in any colour he wanted, regardless of stereotypes.

It was on the way out that something disturbed his peaceful day. The baby store was located at a little collection of stores and fast food restaurants, not quite a mall but at least something similar. He’d put his bags in the car, and while Allura went to get them food, he went to get coffee at the café next door – for Allura anyway, since he couldn’t drink the stuff while pregnant. 

Lance had come to realise that his scent while pregnant tended to draw in the worst types of alphas. Some idiots didn’t know boundaries, and ignorantly ignored the mating bites on his neck, the ones Shiro and Keith had left there to claim him. Some idiots thought it was okay to grab him from behind without his permission, and while Lance was more than capable of handling himself, it was a significantly more difficult task when he had two drinks in hand and a precious pup in his belly.

The snarl he let out brought Allura running. The handsy alpha barely had the chance to look frightened before she had him by the wrist, her grip so tight it looked more than painful. 

“Who do you think you’re grabbing?” She seethed, standing between Lance and the stranger even as the store managed rushed to intervene. “Do you think you can grab anyone like that? He’s pregnant!”

Lance shrunk into his shoulders. His baby was fine, he told himself, but that didn’t stop any paranoia from kicking in.

His mates were not happy when they heard about what happened. It wasn’t like they could do anything other than smother Lance in comfort and attention, which he was more than happy to have, but that didn’t stop them getting mad. Lance was just happy to have Allura around. Her protection left no room for fear in him, and she was more than happy to chase off anyone who thought Lance owed them something when the truth couldn’t have been any different. Lance knew his mates were happy to know how protective Allura had been, too. Lance didn’t even have a bruise or a red mark because she’d reacted so quickly, and been so angry on his behalf. 

It was comforting to know that both he and his pup were well loved, and that they both had such a loving, tight-knit support system. There was nothing more he could’ve wanted for his unborn child.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was so tired tonight that I accidentally uploaded this chapter to the wrong story and it was the worst moment of my life yikes :')


	72. Keith/Lance - Treat

Lance doesn’t particularly like working in a bakery, but he doesn’t hate it either. The bakery was family run, started out of the kitchen of a little house by his great-grand mother back when she was barely older than him. The building was different now – they had an actual store, with a front awning and a proper kitchen at the back – but the atmosphere had never changed. 

Recently, the bakery had become something a little different than just his workplace or the place where his family presence was the strongest. While it was still all those things, and would likely always be, it had also become the place Keith visited at the crack of dawn.

It wasn’t like Keith – Lance’s boyfriend of several years now – wanted to be awake right when the bakery first opened in the morning. Lance had to be awake before that so he could help bake bread, but Keith’s job still had him up earlier than the average commuter. He wasn’t much of a morning person, so Lance had started making little treats for him to get his day off to a good start. Anyway, it wasn’t like Lance got nothing out of their little interaction. He liked seeing Keith in the morning, too. 

That morning, like usual, Keith shuffled in a few moments after the doors had been unlocked. Lance was waiting for him with a little paper bag all ready to be consumed, and he accepted the sleepy hug Keith gave him, which was more like Keith slumping against him, but that didn’t matter.

“Good morning,” Keith mumbled against his neck, fingers gently twisting in Lance’s work apron. 

“Good morning,” Lance returned. He let Keith rest against him for a moment, and then let his family members all pop out to greet him like they usually did. They’d been together, romantic or otherwise, for so long now that Keith was as much a member of the family as anyone tied to him by blood. 

Keith was able to stay for a few minutes. He greeted the family and then sat with Lance, holding tight onto his hand like he was afraid Lance was going to leave him too soon. He never did, of course, but Lance liked to think that sleepy Keith was just clingy. They wouldn’t see each other until the end of the day, so for now this was all they had. It was nice to have a small moment together, no matter how sleep-deprived it was. This little tradition of theirs was new, and had only been happening for a few months, but Lance was already completely hooked.

And besides, Lance always baked something special for Keith, a new treat every day. He couldn’t wait to see if Keith liked it.


	73. Keith/Lance - Expedition

Lance had heard stories of a thing that humans called _expeditions._ With their silent boats and sleek, pristine machines, they trotted themselves away from home with the intention finding something specific. From what Lance could tell, the _something_ could be anything – research, treasure, company. Sometimes humans took expeditions down to see his people.

For the most part, the humans he’d come across were pleasant and sociable. Far away colonies had to deal with humans who were threatening – poachers, hunters, captors. Those who would snatch a merfolk from the ocean just to steal their scales and cut open their bellies. Those dark corners of the ocean were all but bare of life.

But Lance’s little corner of the world was peaceful and so full of life that it was sometimes a bother. Like now, for instance. Lance was trying to swim through an underwater forest of tall, slim grass, so high it reached well into the sun rays filtering through the surface. The grass was soft and silky, moving like ribbons through the gentle undercurrent. The stronger the sunlight that touched it, the more flowers it grew, little white things with five petals and tiny yellow leaves. Petals fell loose when Lance brushed against them, small and thin enough to lodge between his scales. He batted them away with all the irritation of a sullen guppy.

There was a pod of humans scheduled to pass through his shoal’s territory that day. Lance knew these humans well, and was eager to reunite with them. They were a part of something they called Altea Industries, a research company. Altea was dedicated to preserving the ocean, and although some of their technology lay beneath the ocean, it wasn’t intrusive. Much of their tech involved particle barriers, and technology that monitored and encouraged habitats to thrive. They didn’t remove or damage any reef systems to put it in, either. 

Merfolk liked the Alteans.

Lance included.

Only one of the humans involved in the pod he knew was actually related by blood to the founder of Altea Industries. Allura Altea was a very confident woman with a mind incredibly similar to her father’s. She dutifully continued on his work with the upmost respect for merfolk and ocean life. Not only that, but she was a good person when she wasn’t the head of Altea Industries, too. She was sweet and playful, and had a competitive streak that Lance liked. Not to mention she was utterly beautiful, even by merfolk standards.

The humans she most often brought with her were interesting. There was a man with a mechanic arm and a thick scar running across his nose – his name was Shiro. From what Lance had learned, Shiro was a soldier captured by the Galra, a company from the barren patch of ocean, made desolate by their own devices. Altea Industries protected merfolk and ocean habits from the Galra, and they were often warring. Any merfolk captured by the Galra were never seen again. The story was that Shiro was hired to guard Allura after Altea liberated and healed him from Galra influence, but Lance thought that Shiro’s affection for Allura was what truly kept him around. He could have left, taken up a civilian life or done anything he’d wanted, but he chose to stay with Allura. Even if that meant one day seeing Galra operatives again. 

There was another interesting human, one Lance liked perhaps a little too much. Keith went where Shiro went – they might have been related in some distant way, but Lance wasn’t sure how human dynamics worked, and he didn’t want to intrude on their traditions. 

But he did like Keith. He was a strange human, one with a grouchy attitude and a frown to rival all frowns. He was dedicated to his work not because of any moral obligation, but because his mind became very intense when focused. He wasn’t good at socialising, tending to argue before thinking about his words or realising he wasn’t being chastised, but Lance liked his competitive nature. He wasn’t like the other humans Lance had met, the ones who innocently fawned over merfolk in a way that made Lance feel like an attraction. Sure, he enjoyed attention, but he wasn’t a pretty fixture in the ocean. 

Keith never really did seem surprised by merfolk, though. Lance knew he had never seen them before – he was the first most of Allura’s crew had come across, and was used to their surprise and curiously – so Keith’s behaviour was strange. It drew Lance to him. His fiery attitude had never been a deterrent. Lance liked to mess around with him. At first he’d been a little standoffish, but he knew Keith better now. He was better at catching Keith out when Keith stared at him, thinking Lance was none the wiser.

Finally, Lance made it through the grass forest and up through the surface. The boat was docked in shallower waters, where tall underground rock formations created flat surfaces a few tail-lengths beneath the top of the ocean. Plant life and small fish tended to crowd the flat plateaus of reef, but it was a place where humans could safely stow their boat and disembark for a bit of leg room. 

Lance kept beneath the surface as he swam over to the humans. They’d already anchored their boat, and were slowly clambering off the edge to drop onto the places where the rock was only a short distance beneath the surface. The humans always jumped and laughed when their toes dug into the soft corals, mosses and sponges growing on the rock, and it was quite amusing to see them flail around. 

Like usual, he went to find Keith first. Keith was always reluctant to leave the boat, even with Lance’s cajoling. He found Keith leaning over the side, trying not to look like he was waiting for Lance to appear. It wasn’t working. Lance’s grin was full of amusement. He was tempted to breach the surface with a splash, likely getting Keith wet – humans were odd when it came to that – but he decided that a quieter entrance would probably afford them more privacy. 

Keith still startled when Lance popped up out of the water, shaking his hair dry. “You again,” Keith said, voice dry, as if he hadn’t just been waiting for Lance to appear.

“Me again,” Lance agreed, playing along. “You sound reluctant to see me. Shall I go?”

“No!” Keith exclaimed, in that quick to rise way of his. At the sight of Lance’s smug grin, he reddened, and leaned away from the edge of the boat. “No,” he muttered. “I was just surprised.”

Lance laughed. He pushed up a little, extending a wet hand, which Keith grabbed onto so he could help Lance cling onto the railing. It put them eye-to-eye, which was always an interesting experience for Lance, who found Keith’s expressions to be endlessly fascinating. “What human things have you been up to?” Lance asked, excited. He always asked that question. He didn’t care if it was mundane or boring, he wanted to know all about humans. 

Keith rested an elbow on the railing, his chin propped in his palm. Their faces weren’t that far apart, but Keith had become used to Lance’s need to be close with him. 

It was a need that was only ever growing stronger and brighter.


	74. Lance/Shiro - Company

Lance first heard the kitten one night when the weather was particularly cold. He knew there were stray cats running around his block, and had even seen the pregnant one slinking between alleys once or twice, but he’d never spotted the kittens. 

The second time, he ventured out onto the back porch to look, wondering if the mama cat had had her kittens beneath the house. Still, the cats evaded him, and he was left worried and feeling oddly cheated. It was getting much colder at night, and those tiny mews he heard were concerning. 

He finally found the noisy little culprit when it was about to storm. The air outside had become much colder all of a sudden, just like it did when the clouds were preparing to break. Lance loved storms, especially when the rain came down really hard, hard enough to drown out all his thoughts. But the thought of kittens out in a storm like that made him nervous. 

Like he’d thought, the cat was under the porch. He found a shaky little kitten with grey fur and eyes still coloured murky blue from birth. The poor thing was tiny, so small Lance could feel its ribs. It could barely hold up his head, and mewed when he carefully picked it up, afraid and unsure. Lance tried to find its mother or its siblings, but they were nowhere to be found, not even a hint of them. The kitten was so small and weak that he couldn’t help but think it was the runt of the litter, left behind to give the other kittens a better chance of survival. 

He kept the cat after that night.

It wasn’t like he was lonely. His husband, Shiro, was the perfect partner, and he fell in love with the little kitten just as fast as Lance did. They’d lived together for years, and kept each other company. But sometimes Shiro’s job took him away on trips for weeks at a time and Lance missed him miserably. They’d been talking about getting a pet to keep Lance company, and so the kitten stayed.

When it stormed, Lance liked to curl up by a window with Blue in his lap. After getting over her first bout of illness brought on by her frail stature and time out in the weather, Blue grew in massive fits and bursts. She was a big, slender cat with a rather dainty expression and large paws perfect for pouncing. More than anything, she liked to curl up on Lance’s legs, sometimes laying across his stomach and chest if he was tilted back a little.

On the occasions that Shiro’s job reluctantly took him away, Blue kept him from getting lonely. Shiro hated leaving, not only because it made Lance sad, but because he’d grow lonely without his husband around too, but work was work. It comforted them both to know that Blue was there – to keep Lance’s company, and to warmly welcome Shiro home. 

She was the perfect addition to their little family, and even if her life hadn’t started off the best, they were both determined to give her all the comforts in the world.


	75. Keith/Lance - Sharing

“Lance, come out of there.”

“Sorry, Lance isn’t home right now. Leave a message.”

“Lance! I’m not asking again!”

Lance smothered a snicker, and burrowed down further into his nest. His omega medication had finally run out, and before he started using the synthesised stuff Coran had made for him, he’d wanted to go through one natural cycle, just to let his body fully adjust being off the normal suppressants he’d been taking. It was never good to mix medication, after all. And he wanted to go through a heat to solidify his mateship with Keith, now that they’d been together for so long. He’d been assured by his mate that it was a very mutual feeling, no matter how exasperated Keith sounded.

With his natural cycle came his more intense, omega instincts – for the most part, nesting. With the rest of the team, minus him and Keith, having disembarked the castle for a political trip down to the planet they were docked on, Lance had taken the opportunity to steal all the nesting materials he’d wanted. That, of course, meant raiding everybody’s rooms for their personal belongings and bed sheets. 

Which, personally, he had no problem with. It wasn’t like any of their fellow paladins would argue with a nesting omega. It wasn’t polite. He doubted the Alteans would mind him taking their blankets, either. 

Keith had very different opinions.

He was possibly embarrassed, Lance thought. He’d stayed back to watch over Lance, making sure he didn’t get himself into trouble. Not to mention he didn’t really want to leave his omega, which was the real reason he stayed behind. Not many alphas did when their mate was going onto heat. He possibly hadn’t accounted for Lance’s wild instincts making his life more difficult. Omegas didn’t usually like it when their alphas, or anyone for that matter, interfered with their nesting, but Lance hadn’t minded Keith’s hovering.

As long as he didn’t touch Lance’s nest, that was. 

“Lance,” Keith tried again. He was definitely embarrassed.

Lance just sniffled, and burrowed further into his nest, hidden beneath his covers. “My nest,” he muttered, “my rules.”

Keith huffed out a short breath of laughter. He knew this was a battle he had no chance of winning, lest he invoke the ire of a nesting omega, something no one ever wanted to do.

As much as Lance was confident in his nest-building skills, Keith’s hovering made him a little insecure. It was an omega’s pride to have a praised nest, to know that their mates approved of the space they built for their heat. It was a safe place, a comfortable place, one that needed to be big enough and supplied enough for the entire duration of an omega’s heat.

“It’s good though, right?” Lance asked hesitantly, as he peeked out from between the blankets. 

Keith seemed surprised by Lance’s sudden change in attitude. He wasn’t a very experienced alpha, and was sometimes confronted by Lance’s instincts, but he always tried his best. Sensing Lance’s worry, he slowly approached the nest, and peeled back the blanket to expose more of Lance’s face. “It’s good,” he said, when Lance met his eyes. “Looks comfortable. You made it, so of course it’s perfect.”

It wasn’t often that Keith lavished Lance in praises like that – he was more willing to press little kisses to Lance’s cheek and knuckles, something more tactile and affectionate; less wordy – so Lance knew that Keith meant it. He gave his alpha a sweet smile and let Keith lean in to nuzzle against his cheek and neck where his scent was strongest. 

“No one will care that I took their stuff,” Lance told him, “I asked before they left if I could.”

Keith let out a sigh of relief. “It’s more like I was worried they might want their stuff back before you were done with it,” he murmured. “I didn’t want you to have to take apart your nest.”

Lance blinked at him, surprised. He hadn’t thought Keith was worried about that. Maybe he knew more about nesting omega instincts than Lance had given him credit for. Keith’s concern for his nest made him smile. “It’s okay,” he said. 

Keith gave him a small, embarrassed smile. “So are you done building now?”

Lance grinned. “Not by a long shot.”

Keith groaned. He made a grab for Lance who dove back under the covers, only catching hold of an ankle as Lance squirmed between the blankets. He let out a playful growl as Lance laughed, but didn’t press further into the nest, knowing it wasn’t his place. When Lance resurfaced, he pressed a surprise kiss to Lance’s lips. “At least don’t go stealing Allura’s stuff anymore,” he said, side-eyeing the blanket Lance had taken from Allura’s bed. “I don’t think she’d be very happy to find her things gone.”

Lance laughed again. He knew things were going to become quite messy during his heat, but the possessions he’d taken from his friends would be nowhere near any bodily fluids or activity. They were scattered around the furthest edges of his nest just to bring in the scent of his pack, and when his heat started, he’d kick them away all to keep them clean.

But he supposed one blanket was enough from their princess.

“Alright,” he conceded. “But you have to give me your pillows to make up for it.”

Keith’s lips twitched up into a smile. “As if I wouldn’t give you everything of mine.”

Lance hid his face into his pillow, beaming. He really did appreciate everything Keith did for him, even if it was something as simple as sharing his things. It meant more than Keith could imagine.


	76. Keith/Lance/Shiro - Newborn

Lance left the hospital two days after giving birth to his first pup. He’d chosen the facility because they allowed their omegas to build nests, and since Lance was an avid nester, it was an allowance he was very set on having. He’d built a nest at home as soon as he’d realised he was pregnant, and had burst into tears when he realised he wouldn’t be giving birth in it. 

Of course, his alphas had assured him that the nest he made in the hospital was just as good. Considering it was their fault he was in this mess (alright, not entirely – having a baby had been a mutual, well-planned decision with all partners consenting, but that was beside the point) he thought he deserved their praise. He’d only really felt comfortable in a nest.

Now that he was home, he’d deposited himself straight back into the nest he’d left behind and had yet to leave it. Baby – still unnamed for now – was with him, because his instincts were still settling after the birth, and he wanted his little pup with him all the time. Shiro and Keith were very lenient with him, and didn’t press him to pass their son around, not even when friends and family came to visit and Lance reluctantly dragged himself out of his nest.

For the most part, though, they remained undisturbed after arriving home. Their family and their closest friends had all been invited over in small groups to see the new baby and to congratulate them. As much as Lance loved and adored all their visitors, he was glad to have gotten that out of the way so he could relax now. He was still exhausted and sore, and adjusting to the baby’s schedule was a nightmare, no matter how sweet and gentle he insisted his son was.

That evening, Lance was resting in his nest with his son when Keith came in to check on them. He’d built his nest in the master bedroom, and although he’d been more than happy to share it while pregnant, he wanted more privacy to bond with his son, and to make sure the little pup didn’t get disturbed by noise or commotion. His mates respected his wishes, and spent a lot of time in the rest of the house, only returning to the bedroom to sleep and check on them.

“How is he?” Keith asked, as he carefully picked his way into the nest. Lance was sitting up against the headboard, his baby resting on his bare chest, fast asleep and swaddled in a soft white blanket.

“He’s good,” Lance said. Keith rumbled quietly, and reached across to nuzzle Lance’s cheek, hiding a smile. One of his hands came to rest on the back of baby’s head, so soft and gentle that it was like he hardly touched him at all. 

“Any progress on thinking of a name for him?” Keith asked, eyebrows raised hopefully.

Lance offered him a wane smile and shook his head. The perfect name hadn’t come to him yet, though he had a feeling he would find one very soon. “Sorry,” he said.

“Don’t be,” Keith told him. He pressed a chaste kiss to Lance’s lips, letting himself linger for a few moments, before he ducked to kiss the crown of his son’s head. “He’s absolutely perfect.”

Lance preened at the praise. Name or no name, Lance would never be more proud of anything than he was of his son. Hearing anyone, even his fathers, praise his pup made him relentlessly happy. 

“He’s due for a feed soon,” Keith said.

Lance laughed quietly. He knew that anticipative, eager look on Keith’s face like the back of his hand, and trustingly held out his son. “Want to feed him for me?”

Keith gave him a dazzling grin. He was a broad, strong alpha, but he become effortlessly tender when he held his son. “I still can’t believe he’s here,” Keith cooed, as he adjusted his hold on the baby. “Are you waking up now, baby? Hmm?”

Baby was waking up, slowly blinking his big eyes up at his father. Small curious, whimpering noises left his tiny mouth as he yawned, squirming. 

“There you are,” Keith grinned. He stood, cradling the baby to his chest as he headed for the kitchen.

Lance yawned himself, and settled back against the pillows, pulling the covers up over his chest. Knowing his pup was being cared for by his attentive mates eased all the tension in him. As soon as his head touched his pillows, he was out like a light.

He woke to voices. It was only a light doze, but he felt better when he woke up. Blinking open his eyes, he saw the source of the noise happened to be his two mates, who were standing over the cradle they kept in the bedroom for baby.

“See, it’s not so bad,” Shiro whispered. His hand was extended down to the baby, fingers carefully tracing over a soft, rounded cheek. “Aren’t you comfortable, baby? You feeling sleepy now?”

Omegas were very sensitive to the scents of their babies right after birth. It wasn’t uncommon for an omega to accurately tell which of their mates had fathered the baby, if they had more than one. The moment Lance’s pup had been placed against his chest, he’d known that Shiro was the father. It didn’t change anything between them, and he knew they all loved the baby equally, but it felt special to know that their top alpha had fathered their first baby. Lance hadn’t told Shiro or Keith, but he had a hunch they might know.

“Of course he’s sleepy,” Keith said, in the same soft voice Shiro used. He shuffled against Shiro’s side, curling up under his arm when Shiro put it around his shoulders. “He doesn’t want to wake up his Ma.”

Lance smiled to himself. Some male omegas liked being called mother, others didn’t, but he didn’t mind. They hadn’t really been able to settle on names for themselves – three fathers could get confusing. But until their baby could talk, it wasn’t really a problem.

“Right, right,” Shiro agreed. There was a grin in his voice. “Baby doesn’t want to keep Mama up, but it’s okay to keep Papa and Daddy up.”

Keith snorted. “He can keep us up, that’s fine,” he said. “As long as Lance gets some rest. He still looks really tired.”

Shiro hummed. “He definitely is. I wouldn’t be surprised if he spent another week or two in his nest. I might ask to see if we can get a home visit from the doctor, rather than going into the hospital. Lance and baby might find that easier.”

“That’s a good idea,” Keith agreed. They were silent for a moment, and baby startled to grizzle tiredly. “It’s strange having a baby, huh? Not bad strange.”

Shiro nodded, his hand rubbing soothing lines on Keith’s arm as he traced tiny circles on baby’s cheek. “It’s different to what I imagined, but I wouldn’t change a thing. Even if that means getting up every few hours, and changing dirty nappies.”

“Is it weird that I enjoy even the gross stuff?” Keith asked, hesitant. “I mean, baby drooled all over me today when I gave him his night feed, but I didn’t even care. I was just so happy he ate so much.”

“Of course it isn’t weird,” Shiro chuckled. “This is our baby, after all. Every little thing he does makes me proud. He stared at me for a full minute when I was holding him today and I think I cried a little.”

Keith laughed quietly. “No, he did that to me too! He’s so cute. He’s definitely got Lance’s eyes.”

“God, I hope so. I know they’ll still be this murky blue for a while, but I really hope they lighten and stay like Lance’s. He’s got Lance’s cute little nose, too.”

“And his skin,” Keith said. “Though it’s a bit lighter, don’t you think?”

“He’ll probably tan when he’s older.”

“Better than burning, like you do.”

Shiro looked down at Keith, his expression unreadable. 

Keith just shrugged at the silent question. “He’s got your hair, too.”

So they did know. Lance wondered if they’d been able to smell it on their pup too, in the few minutes after his birth before the scent dispersed. Or maybe they’d just been staring at baby for so long they’d been able to pick out Shiro’s features in him. 

“We have the same hair colour,” Shiro pointed out.

“Mine is thicker. Plus, baby’s eyes are the same shape as yours.”

“Keith…”

“What? I’m not upset,” Keith said, sounding uncharacteristically amused. “My mates gave me a perfect pup. What more could I ask for?”

Shiro pressed a kiss to Keith’s forehead, leaning against him for a moment. “Lance really did give us a perfect baby, huh? Look at him.”

“I am looking. I haven’t stopped looking. I don’t think I can.”

Shiro laughed quietly. “Me either. If I’m not staring at baby, I’m staring at Lance. It’s still hard to believe we have a child now.”

“I know. I just can’t believe how much I love him already.”

“I know, I feel the same.”

Feeling tearful, Lance let out a quiet trill. His mates jumped, looking at him with wide, guilty eyes. After one last glance at baby, Shiro came to the bed, and smoothed Lance’s hair away from his forehead.

“Sorry, we didn’t mean to wake you,” he said.

“It’s fine,” Lance sniffled. He leaned into Shiro’s touch, nuzzling his palm. “You’re making me emotional.”

“You heard all that, huh?” Shiro looked embarrassed. 

“Of course I did,” Lance said. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Shiro chuckled, smiling. “Think you can fall asleep again? It’s quite late.”

Lance nodded. He was already drowsy again. “Are you going to sleep, too?”

Shiro nodded. Keith was already climbing into bed behind Lance, pressing his nose against the back of his neck. Shiro stood once more to check on baby, and after finding him asleep, he joined them in bed. He had the longest arms, and as he pressed against Lance’s front, careful of his stomach, he pulled both his mates under his arm. 

The heat of both his alphas made Lance purr comfortably. He pressed back against Keith and tucked his head under Shiro’s chin, completely content. He’d been afraid of having a child, once, worried that he’d be a bad parent, or that he’d struggle to cope.

But both of his mates had proved that they were just as dedicated in caring for their child as he was. They’d proved to him that they were ready and willing to support him, to give him time to recover and to bond with their baby. Even before he’d given birth they’d done everything they could to reassure him, and they’d made him feel confident enough to care for his pup.

He had nothing to worry about, and knew his pup was going to grow up knowing he was loved and adored.


	77. Keith/Lance - Poachers

Lance had lived by himself for a while now. He had a little home by the beach, one with a big garden and lots of windows to let in plenty of sunshine. There was plenty of time to relax in the water, and to visit the local produce market. He’d even gotten handy at catching his own fish for dinner – which, in hindsight, was remarkably made easier for him due to the fact that he was a water spirit.

It was nice being by the ocean, and having a little world of water just to himself. The beach he lived on was pretty secluded, and although there were often visitors, he was never really disturbed. Lance liked having space for himself. He missed his family terribly, of course he did, but being independent was a new adventure. He had his familiar – a water cat, Blue – and she was all he needed to never be lonely.

That morning, Lance had decided to take a trip down to the shore to fill his water crystals. Every elemental spirit had them – a coloured crystal used to store energy that could then be used for just about anything, including household duties and sending messages. Lance used his to contact his family, and to do simple things like boil a kettle or wash his clothes. For a water spirit like him, filling them by a strong, clean water source was the best way to go, and he just loved the turbulent energy of the ocean, so he’d taken to filling his crystals in it. 

Like usual, Blue accompanied him. She was a beautiful familiar, he thought. The most beautiful one there could be. Like most familiars, she took on the form of an animal; in this case, a cat. She was bigger than the average house cat though, coming well up to Lance’s waist. She had big paws and a long sleek tail, and when she came into contact with water, it was like she melted away. With fur as blue as the ocean and eyes even bluer, Lance had never seen anything or anyone more beautiful in his life. He’d been very honoured when Blue chose him.

“What do you think, Blue?” He asked, as he held up his first crystal. It fit comfortably between the tips of his thumb and index finger, and when he held it up to the sun, it cast dazzling blue light patterns across his dark skin. The crystals always became richer in colour when they were full of energy. It was how a person knew when they were running low.

Blue, who was busy chasing the frothy tide, padded over to him at the sound of her name. Lance was kneeling where the tide reached, his knees buried in cold, wet sand. The water was currently moving up and down his thighs, and every time a particularly rough wave came in, he lowered a crystal into the water to harvest its energy.

“I think it’s pretty full,” Lance said, pleased, as he tucked the crystal into the little pouch he’d brought down with him. Blue purred her assent, and rubbed her chin against Lance’s head. She licked a rough stripe through his hair, making it stand upright, before bounding off back to the waves. 

He was in the middle of digging out a second crystal when he was suddenly attacked. The beach had always been safe, but he’d heard rumours about poachers in the area when he was last in town, he just hadn’t paid them much heed. It was common knowledge that elemental spirits were high-priority targets of poachers, but they were scarcely taken from populated areas, and the beach was very close to a port town.

He should have been more careful.

A frightened cry left his lips as a magic-nullifying net was cast over him. Blue roared with anger, but as she leapt for him, she was beaten back with a poacher’s trident, sending her retreating to the waves as he was yanked free of them. Lance squirmed against the net, trying to call up his magic, but nothing more than a mere trickle of water responded to him. He’d never felt so drained of energy.

“A water spirit will fetch a hefty price,” one poacher sneered as he hauled the net up onto the sand. 

Panicked, Lance pushed at the net, trying to right himself. He’d been warned about poachers by his parents, but he never thought he’d be attacked during the middle of the day.

Blue let out another enraged roar, leaping for him again. Lance cried out to stop her. Thinking of her being hurt pained him more than anything, and he didn’t want the poachers to get her. He’d rather be hurt himself. “No, Blue!”

A sudden stream of fire rained down on the poachers. The searing heat made Lance flinch, and then the tension on the net snapped away. A fire cat leapt down from the adjacent ledge of rocks where the sand verged into forest. It was slightly smaller than Blue, and let out a deep, ferocious hiss as it batted at the poacher’s trident. The trident was designed to injured water spirits, and was nothing but a big fork to the fire cat, who heated the metal so much that it began to sizzle and melt.

Out of nowhere, a fire spirit dressed in guard armour and a hood descended on the poachers. He had a dagger in hand, one with an ornate handle, and he wielded it like it was water. The poachers stood no chance.

“Are you alright?” The fire spirit asked. He didn’t even sound out of breath as he reached down to tear the net off of Lance.

The first coherent thought that filtered through Lance’s mind was _oh no he’s hot._

The second was that he was still very, very frightened. He’d never seen anyone take out poachers that quickly, let alone anyone with a familiar that could possibly rival Blue’s strength. Frightened, he twisted back towards the ocean, throwing up his hand. Without the net limiting his abilities, the water responded instantly. A wave surged over him, soaking the fire spirit and his familiar, who both jerked back. Blue lunged forwards, urging Lance upright with her nose. 

He stumbled to his feet, backing far into the waters until the waves reached his knees. He slumped against Blue, arms across her back as she bristled and bared her teeth at the fire spirit. 

“Thank you for that,” the fire spirit said, shaking his hands. Water droplets went flying. He was completely soaked. “Appreciate it.”

Lance swallowed, trying to will his erratic heart to slow down. He couldn’t feel his legs, and couldn’t bring himself to glance at the singed poachers, neither of whom were currently conscious. “Who are you?” He demanded.

The fire spirit blinked, and straightened, putting away his dagger. Lance felt better when he couldn’t see it.

“My name is Keith,” the fire spirit said, hands raised passively.

Lance met his eyes. Something strange curled in him as he stared at the fire spirit. He found that he wasn’t afraid anymore.


	78. Lance/Shiro - Heal

“Come on, just a little more,” Lance encouraged, as he let Shiro squeeze his hands really tight. “You can do it!”

A pained wince fluttered over Shiro’s face, the first time he’d shown just how difficult this exercise was for him. As much as Lance wanted to coddle him, he knew that he needed to have a firm hand. This was his job after all, even if his patient was his husband.

Shiro’s wing injury was still giving him trouble, even years after he’d left the service. He’d grown his feathers back, but the injury site was still weak, and he needed physiotherapy to keep up muscle strength and ensure that both his wings were equally heavy. It was important to do that to guarantee he didn’t experience any shoulder or neck pain, and so that he could continue to fly comfortably.

He’d healed remarkably well in the last few years. His sessions only came around three times a year now that it had been ages since the accident, but they always left him stressed and sore. For the most part, he was able to go through the exercises with ease – he was a really strong guy, and his wings were no exception to his muscled physique. 

“Is the pain better or worse than last time?” Lance asked, after Shiro had completed the exercise. 

“Better,” Shiro admitted. He had both his wings tucked in against his back, but it was clear that his right one couldn’t go in as far as the left just yet. 

“Rate the pain out of ten?”

“Maybe a four.”

“That’s definitely better.” Lance couldn’t hide the relief in his voice as he gave Shiro a smile. He’d been monitoring Shiro’s progress for the last year or so, ever since his previous therapist suggested he switch. Not only was it easier for Shiro to get to the clinic Lance worked at, but he was at a stage where major therapy was no longer required, and all he needed were his regular sessions to make sure his muscle mass was keeping up with the weight of his wing.

With all the profession work out of the way, Lance was finally free to pull Shiro closer, standing in front of him to cradle Shiro’s head against his stomach. He ran his fingers through Shiro’s hair, lightly scratching at his scalp to produce soft, quiet sighs. Slowly but surely, the tension in Shiro’s wings eased, until Lance was able to put his own around the man. His wings weren’t as big or wide as Shiro’s, but his feathers were soft, and he was secretly delighted whenever Shiro turned his face against them, seeking comfort.

“You’re doing much better,” Lance said, softer this time. When Shiro glanced up at him with those big brown eyes of his, he couldn’t help but smile. “A little pain is expected, but you’re still healing fast.”

He knew that Shiro believed him. They’d long since established an unwavering bond of trust in this situation which made it a lot easier to separate their personal and professional lives. There was some blurring, of course, but not enough to worry anyone. Lance felt lucky that he could watch over Shiro, especially because he liked to give Shiro massages when he was sore. His husband made the cutest little noises when he was all comfortable like that.

“Thanks for helping me,” Shiro whispered, putting his arms around Lance’s waist.

“It’s no problem at all.” It really wasn’t.


	79. Keith/Lance - Bar

Lance worked at a classy bar in an equally classy hotel. A room would set back clients four figures a night, but the level of luxury was quite worth it, apparently. Lance liked working there, even if he’d felt out of place and oddly dirty for the first few months. His pay checks helped ease the way.

For the most part, he dealt with rich people, their rich kids, and wealthy travellers. Sometimes pilots from private jets stopped in, or business men at the top of the capitalist food chain. A lot of the people who sat at his section of the bar were nice, and looking for an eager conversation partner. There were a lot of heavy-handed assholes who wanted to cross boundaries – Lance couldn’t count the number of times someone had slapped his arse or tipped him extra thinking that’d get them a special visit to their room later – but they were always taken care of by security as soon as Lance said anything. As much as the hotel was a “the customer is always right” kind of place (especially considering the wallet size of their customers) they were dedicated to treating their staff right, too.

He never really expected to find someone to date from his customer pool. He liked to flirt, and loved when he had nice flirty customers, but it was generally known that nothing would come from it. His customers would order a drink, Lance could deliver it with a cheerful flourish, and everyone was happy. Not only did people tip better when they were met with a happy face, but they always left the bar more relaxed, too. Happy bartender, happy customer.

That aside, he did notice someone who was different to the usual people who strolled up to his bar. Keith worked for the same company who owned the hotel, though clearly not for the hotel branch. As far as Lance could tell, Keith was a pilot – he was often in uniform when he came into the bar. At first, he’d only ever sit at the tables in the darker corners, giving a waitress his order instead of ordering at the bar. He was sometimes only around for an hour or two, probably in between flights, but other times he stayed overnight. 

It took a while for Lance to get close to Keith. Not because he was nervous, no, but because Keith bolted every time. He was offended the first few times, until one of the waitresses told him that Keith had asked about him, something that amused her endlessly. Turned out Keith was the nervous one. Lance supposed he could understand that, considering how many times a week he got propositioned. Keith probably didn’t want to overstep boundaries, and likely didn’t think he had a chance.

But boy did he have one.

Lance waited for Keith to gather the courage to approach the bar himself. He knew he would one-hundred percent come on too strong, so he decided to let Keith take control of things. Besides, what if he was just pining all on his own? He didn’t want to make a fool of himself.

Keith did eventually sidle up to the bar. Lance never knew when to expect him because of his flight schedule, but he was always delighted to catch sight of Keith in the room. It was usually easy to see the glinting little pin on his pilot’s hat. It always caught the low, golden light in the bar well. This time, however, he turned around from making a drink for another customer and there he was.

As much as Keith was nervous, he seemed to relax when Lance grinned at him and enthusiastically chatted him up. Lance didn’t know what it was, but Keith was different to his usual customers. He flushed in that boyish, blossoming way that only someone who really liked another did when their fingers brushed. Lance tried not to ignore his other customers, but he always drifted back to where Keith was sitting, trying to ply more information from him. Keith wasn’t very chatty, but he didn’t seem to mind Lance’s increasingly personal questions.

After that, Keith seemed much less hesitant to approach Lance. He spent more time in the hotel’s bar, particularly at the actual bar, and didn’t shy away from Lance’s outrageous flirting. Lance really knew that Keith was just as enamoured with him as he was with Keith when Keith spotted him wandering around the hotel outside his shifts. A lot of customers would say hello if they recognised him, but Keith came up to him to talk, and they spent hours lounging around the hotel. Lance missed him when he had to fly off to another part of the world.

But he wasn’t too worried. Keith had promised to check in with him as soon as he touched down, after hesitantly asking for Lance’s phone number (which he readily gave). 

There really was something different about Keith, something really good. Lance was keen to find out what it was.


	80. Keith/Lance - Supernatural

Lance found them on the internet. Really, it wasn’t like it was hard. He only had to dig through a page or seven of google search results before he started finding what he probably should have just left alone. Realistically, he knew that the internet was no safe place to find someone, no matter what one wanted the person for.

But he thought his situation was a little different. It wasn’t like he was looking for a date, or a plumber, or someone to value his house. Nothing mundane like that.

No, he had something living in his basement. At first he thought it was a rat. Maybe a cat had gotten in or something, or a pigeon. As things became progressively worse, he tried to convince himself the noises he heard were explainable: the wind, a box falling over, the house settling. It soon became clear he could no longer blame it on anything like that, so he dug through countless threads and blogs and other equally stupid things on the internet trying to figure out what it was: a poltergeist, a pixie, a black dog, a ghoul. He was sort of back to thinking it was a rat, albeit a mutated, genetic monstrosity of a rat.

To be clear, he’d never properly seen said probably-a-mutant-rat. He’d seen shadows and blurry shapes, of course, when he’d ventured down into the dark basement with a straw broom or frying pan in hand (he really wished he’d let his father buy him a baseball bat after moving into his house). He’d even sent Blue down there once – his cat – and although he was pretty sure she won whatever battle she had with the rat (it never made a ruckus when Blue was around) she wasn’t keen to go back down there.

And really, if his fearless cat didn’t want anything to do with the rat, then Lance knew he needed to find someone crazy enough to want to.

That’s why he emailed the people he found deep on the internet.

“This is the literal worst idea you’ve ever had,” Hunk said, nervous beyond measure as he tightened his fingers around Lance’s elbow. He was a perfectly supportive friend, the best Lance could have asked for. And perfect balls of sunshine like Hunk decided to be brave enough to stick by their stupid best friends when they made a dumb decision.

“You want to go down into the basement?” Lance countered. They were standing by his mailbox, in front of the low brick fence that surrounded his property. He was only renting the place, but he’d spent months fixing up the garden, making it green and healthy again. He wasn’t going to give it up just because some overgrown mouse was terrorizing his basement.

And okay, maybe he was nervous too, but he knew Hunk fed off his anxieties to make his own worse so Lance sucked it up and kept his chin held high. He was sure this was going to turn out one of two ways: first, it could be a bunch of jobless geeks with an intense and frankly intimidating grasp of roleplaying, or he was going to come face to face with people straight out of _Supernatural._

He was kind of hoping for the _Supernatural_ guys.

What he got was almost that. 

The guy he’d contact was called Keith. Lance wasn’t sure what he expected, but someone his age with broad shoulders and dark indigo eyes and an angular jaw certainly wasn’t it. The guy was hot, and there was no getting around it. Everything in Lance was perking up and going _oh hi there._

As distracting as the pretty guy was, he wasn’t the only one who’d come to solve Lance’s not-so-little vermin problem. Climbing out of driver’s side of the car was another man, one who looked much less enthusiastic about the whole deal. He kept both his hands stuffed deeply in the pockets of his jacket, and reminded Lance more of a chaperone than a supernatural detective.

The pretty one with the indigo eyes came up to Lance and offered his hand. He had a really intense expression, and didn’t look like the kind of person who laughed much. Lance shook his hand. “You must be Keith…?”

Keith nodded. His grip was tight, but when Lance met his eyes, he softened. “You said you got something in your basement?”

“That I do,” Lance said, pursing his lips. “Sounds like a giant rat. Isn’t a giant rat.”

A strange look of glee came to Keith’s face. The harsh lines of his expression eased away into something more childlike and youthful. He looked even more handsome when he was riled up like that. “Show me the way.”


	81. Lance/Shiro - Backfire

Shiro didn’t have nightmares often, not anymore. It was amazing what the love of someone like Lance could do to an alpha like him. In short, it made everything better. 

He wasn’t sure what it was about Lance that was so addictive. When he really thought about it, he could make a list a mile long in his mind. Lance’s cheery smile, his outrageous flirting, his awful puns and pickup lines… his subtle, homely beta scent, the way he ran his fingertips over Shiro’s scars when he thought Shiro was sleeping, his exceptional cooking skills… his calm patience, his adaptability, the way he was never judgemental… 

It was more of an endless list, really. Shiro was completely enamoured with the man. He never thought he could love someone as much as he loved Lance, let alone continue to fall more in love every day. Lance accepted him for who he was, and didn’t see him as broken, or missing parts. Shiro’s prosthetic arm and scars didn’t bother the beta at all. He never even flinched when the cold prosthetic touched him (though Shiro could have forgiven him for that). 

Shiro could never thank Lance enough for putting up with all the struggles Shiro had. He never pushed him too far, or chastised him for doing things that others would have found irritating or embarrassing. He liked taking care of Shiro, even when he shouldn’t have had to. He didn’t care that Shiro’s nightmares woke them up or that he had to cancel dinner plans if Shiro's anxiety became too much or if he refused to leave the house in winter because his arm hurt too much.

He was perfect in every way, shape, and form. He made Shiro feel more like himself, even if that wasn’t who he used to be before the accident.

Shiro was better now. Things that used to set him off didn’t, and he could manage his nightmares a lot easier. 

But he hadn’t been able to kick all his old fears.

The sound of a car backfiring and skidding down the road shocked him from sleep. For a moment, his mind was deeply entrenched in his accident, the sensations and pain so real he couldn’t rationalise them. He jerked awake hard, gasping and growling. He couldn’t stop shaking.

It took several long minutes for his ears to stop ringing. By the time he came back to himself enough to feel ashamed, Lance had a hold of him, one arm wound around Shiro’s neck to cradle him close, the other stroking down his back. He had his nose pressed against the crook of Lance’s neck, and his fingers dug tight into Lance’s arms like he was begging him not to let go. 

“You’re okay,” Lance was whispering into his hair, soft and low with a slight rumble to his voice, “nothing can hurt you here, you’re okay, I’m with you.”

It was that last thing that was almost the most comforting.

“Lance…?” He croaked.

“There you are.” Lance gave him a grin, and cupped Shiro’s cheek, rubbing away the dampness under his eye. “You feeling alright, Takashi?”

He hummed, and waited for his voice to come back. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologise,” Lance told him, firm and yet somehow gentle, too. He pressed a lingering kiss to Shiro’s forehead. “Nothing to be sorry over.”

“I woke you.”

“It’s okay.”

Shiro knew it was futile to argue. He pressed closer, and let himself be comforted. Other people would have called him less of an alpha for being so weak, or criticised him for not being strong enough. 

But he didn’t think strength came from never falling apart. Lance had taught him that it came from the way people put themselves back together. He didn’t need to turn away help just because he thought he should have been able to fix himself on his own. Lance gave him the ability to accept himself for who he was. He knew that he couldn’t credit Lance for everything – he’d had so much help from his friends, his family, his doctors, even himself – but a lot of it did come down to his loving, loyal mate.

Sometimes, Shiro wondered if his comforts did the same for Lance as Lance’s did for him. He knew Lance struggled with his own insecurities sometimes – his looks, his importance to other people, his status as a beta. He felt like he was mediocre; average. That couldn’t have been further from the truth.

But those low moods were few and far between these days. They helped each other, kept each other safe, complimented each other and loved each other in ways no one else could.

“I love you,” Lance whispered, when he noticed Shiro starting to drift off again. A year ago and he wouldn’t have been able to sleep for hours, if at all. Not after waking up like that.

But in Lance’s arms?

He’d never felt safer.

“I love you too, Lance,” he whispered back.


	82. Hunk/Keith/Lance/Shiro - Miss

One of the benefits of having three mates was that there was usually always someone willing to cuddle. Lance enjoyed this fact a bit too much, and would take advantage of it whenever he could, curling up against whichever mate was most willing. 

For the most part, each of his mates had different preferences when it came to lazy affection. Hunk was the easiest to bribe into a cuddle – his beta nature left him generally non-confrontational, and he was just as affectionate as Lance was when he wanted to be. He didn’t mind having an omega crawl all over him, looking for just the right spot to settle. He liked it when Lance laid on his chest, or curled up under one of his big arms. 

Keith was a little harder to reel in. He liked affection, but on his own terms. He ran hot, and having Lance smothering him made him a little uncomfortable. Still, he did like to cuddle, especially when he was tired or sleepy. He preferred to be the big spoon, and would drag Lance or any of their other mates into whatever position he wanted. Lance didn’t mind.

Shiro was a subtle mix of the two. He didn’t have Hunk’s beta passiveness, or Keith’s alpha aggressiveness, despite being an alpha himself. As the designated top alpha, he was the one that kept the rest of them in line and made sure they were all getting along, within reason. He had more experience controlling his instincts than the rest of them, so it made sense that he was the top alpha. He didn’t rise to aggression or let himself be walked all over. 

He was a good alpha. A good hugger, too. He’d let Lance spoon him if Lance wanted, or pull Lance into his arms while they lay together. He liked to be able to put his nose in the crook of Lance’s neck or in his hair, so they usually ended up with Lance’s head tucked under his chin. Shiro was always very enthusiastic about scenting, as well. He wanted all of his mates to smell like him all the time, and would sometimes go in for a kiss but instead cheekily scent them before they knew what was coming. As serious as he was, he could be very playful, too. Lance loved that about him.

Another good thing about having more than one mate: if one was away from home, there was always a spare laying around. Of course, his mates found it endearingly frustrating when he told them that, but it was all in good fun, and they knew he loved them not only as pack, but as individuals too. 

Shiro and Keith worked at the same place. Sometimes they had to go on business trips, alone or together, which left Hunk and Lance at home. They were never gone for too long, but with half their pack missing, the loss was very noticeable.

Still, Hunk and Lance had learned to cope. They’d been together – friends and otherwise – for the longest, and probably had the most easy connection out of all four of them. Skype calls usually ended with a lot of cuddling on Lance’s behalf; seeing his mates and being unable to touch them made him a little upset, just because he missed them so much. Hunk, or whichever mate was home and closest, would always hold him and scent him to make him feel better. It worked every time. He was a sucker for affection. 

Currently, it was just Hunk and Lance home. They called Keith and Shiro every night, but Lance still missed them fiercely. He blamed his omega instincts. He was the only omega in their pack, and it made him feel very responsible for the emotional wellbeing of his mates, sometimes to the detriment of his own. He just had a lot of love to give, and had always been a very touchy person. 

He just missed his mates a lot.

Hunk was an expert at comforting him after spending years getting to know all of Lance’s little quirks and habits. He’d sit with Lance in his lap and draw little circles on his palms, or rub down Lance's back, covering Lance in his soft, soothing scent. He really was a master of making everything all better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still haven't quite gotten the hang of this pairing, but abo aus make everything better


	83. Keith/Lance - Envious

Pidge didn’t let people in often. She wasn’t fond of socialising in general, and much preferred the company of machines, mostly because she could read and understand them better. They didn’t have complicated things like emotions and feelings. 

But that didn’t apply to every person, she supposed. There were some she liked more than technology. She enjoyed spending time with her mother and father, and she loved being with her older brother. They understood her in ways other people couldn’t. Over the years she’d made some close friends, too. 

Hunk was a beta in her class, and although he had a lot of questions at first, he was pretty chill with her. He tended to be more worried about the world around him than the people around him, which suited Pidge just fine. Hunk was great with technology too, which meant they got along. He was a better engineer than Pidge and easily fell into conversations that others would have opted out of. 

Lance wasn’t very interested in engineering. He was happy to listen though, and was pretty smart when he wasn’t flirting, so Pidge could forgive him for not being interested. She hadn’t thought Lance would ever be the type of person she’d get along with. He was teasing, stupidly confident, extroverted, and very eager to bicker (in a generally harmless way). She didn’t understand him.

But somehow, that was okay. She _liked_ Lance. It shocked her to realise she was friends with someone like him. Good friends. Maybe it was because he accepted everything she presented without ever questioning it. That was what surprised her the most, at first. She’d met him during a difficult time, but he’d taken her snappiness in stride and had moulded his friendship to her around it. She’d looked more like a boy than a girl back then, and when Lance found out that she was in fact female – when she’d decided to use female pronouns – he’d been honestly surprised. He didn’t assume anything about her. He just took everything she gave at face value, and she really liked that.

So maybe she’d let herself like Lance more than she liked other people. He was the first person she told about her sexuality – or rather, the fact that she wasn’t sexually interested in anyone. He hadn’t cared, but had been proud of her for telling him, and looked so honoured to have been told at all. His raw honesty flattered her.

And he didn’t mind that she was an alpha. Some omegas didn’t want to be friends with alphas, but he hadn’t cared at all. 

That’s why Pidge was a little protective of him. She wasn’t completely immune to her instincts, and although a lot of them were made subtle by her suppressants, her urge to protect what she loved never really abated. When she was younger, it meant she that wailed every time her brother put her down. Now that she was older, it meant she growled when leery alphas made gross eyes at Lance, or when someone underestimated Hunk’s skills just because of his nervousness. 

She supposed she was more protective of Lance. Not because he was omega – well, maybe a little, but she was tyring not to be – but because he didn’t have a partner. Her lack of human understanding made her consider pairings a little strangely. In her mind, her parents were together, so they had each other to watch their backs. It was the same for Matt and his alpha mate, Shiro. Even Hunk had met a sweet omega, a woman named Shay, who took care of him. 

Lance had yet to find a mate.

Well, sort of. Pidge didn’t really understand it, but Lance was totally into Keith, an alpha who was close with Shiro. They’d gotten along like cats and dogs at first – that is to say, they hated each other. There was some sort of rivalry there that Pidge didn’t really want to get into, but Keith had sent her hackles up, and she’d lingered around Lance obsessively until Keith and Lance started to get along more.

She didn’t think she’d ever fully comprehend their relationship. It was more like desperate pining, but she knew it was going to happen eventually. Lance liked Keith. Keith liked Lance. What more was there to it? A lot, apparently, but she didn’t get it.

For the most part, she just watched it play out. She let her scent rub off on Lance, who didn’t mind, and made sure Keith understood that she was an alpha in Lance’s life and she wasn’t going anywhere. 

It made Keith a little uncomfortable. She was a perceptive person, and she knew Keith was being careful not to overstep boundaries around her. It wasn’t like Lance was her omega, but he was her friend, and she didn’t want him to get hurt. If that meant intimidating Keith a little, then well… she’d do it. Besides, it was kind of nice to know she was intimidating. Her short size didn’t lend much in the intimidation department. 

Still, she was a little surprised to find herself more tangled up in Lance’s love problems than she’d originally thought she’d be. After spending so much time with Lance and Hunk, she’d gotten used to people knowing about her. Knowing how to read her. And despite spending a lot of time with Keith recently, he didn’t know her like her other friends did.

As much as she hated talking, she knew it was going to have to happen to get through to Keith.

“I’m not dating Lance.”

Keith’s shocked and uncomfortable face was almost worth it.

“We’re just friends,” she continued. She’d cornered Keith when no one was around after getting tired of the envious looks he sent her way when she sat close to Lance.

“I’m not– I don’t–”

And okay, seeing Keith all flustered and embarrassed definitely made this awkward conversation worth it. She ploughed on. “Listen,” she said, “who Lance chooses to date is his business, but I know for a fact he likes you, and you like him. I’m just here to say – firstly, I’m not dating him – and secondly, if you date him, you’re not allowed to hurt him. Like, don’t break his heart. I’m not afraid to beat you up.”

Keith nodded. He looked decently threatened, which sort of made Pidge puff up proudly, but she’d never admit that. “I’m not going to hurt Lance,” Keith said. 

Pidge squinted at him. And continued to squint. Keith didn’t even squirm.

She was satisfied. “Okay,” she said, nodding. “But just so you know, Lance is still my friend.” _I still want to cuddle with him, and I still want him to sit with me._ She was sort of afraid that with an alpha lover, Lance would forget her.

Keith seemed to know what she was thinking. “As if I could ever replace you,” he scoffed, as a hesitant smile twitched at the corner of his lips, just something little and secret. “Lance never shuts up about how smart you are.”

Pidge did puff up at that. She grinned, too.

Unfortunately, their smiling drew the curious attention of Lance, who buzzed around them like a humming bird. It was fun not telling him anything, mostly because it made her feel closer to Keith, who was more than happy to finally have something over Lance. 

Pidge had never been gladder to have the friends she did.


	84. Keith/Lance - Cryptid

“Lance. Lance, wake up.”

Lance groaned and squirmed further into the bed sheets, ignoring Keith’s probing. Keith huffed, and wiggled his fingers under Lance’s sleep shirt, finding his waist. Lance let out a wounded whine as he jerked away from Keith’s fingers. 

“Okay, okay, I’m up,” Lance grumbled, pulling the covers away from his head. His eyes were dark and sleepy, and although he was pouting, he didn’t look all that upset. This was a bit of a common occurrence for them, after all. Keith didn’t get nearly as much sleep as his boyfriend did. “What is it this time, babe?”

Keith turned his computer screen towards Lance, the brightness turned all the way down. “Look, there’s this new report–”

Alright, maybe Keith could admit that he was a little obsessed with researching supernatural things. He liked watching ghost hunting shows and reading blogs about mothman sightings and all sorts of weird things like that. He knew it wasn’t exactly normal, but he just found it interesting. It was a hobby. It made him feel childishly excited when new sighting photos emerged on the web. He couldn’t wait to talk about it with someone.

He just didn’t always realise that he should probably wait until morning for these sorts of things. He was already deep in his explanation, and was barrelling through everything he wanted to say without taking a breath. Lance watched him with an amused, fond look, his head propped on his arm. 

“Sorry about waking you,” Keith said, sheepish, as he shut his laptop. He was always a bit upset with himself for disturbing Lance. 

“Like I’ve said before, I don’t mind,” Lance reminded him, chuckling. He had a cute, raspy yawn to his voice, one he always got when he was sleepy. “As long as I don’t have an exam on the next day, or anything.”

Keith laughed a little. He was always cautious not to wake Lance up when he really needed the sleep, especially if he had something important on the next day. He was an expert at being quiet around the house. “You can go back to sleep now,” he said.

Lance gave him a little smile. “You finally going to join me?”

“In a minute.”

After locking up the house, changing into his pyjamas, and brushing his teeth, Keith finally retired to bed. Lance was already asleep again, softly snoring into his pillow, his arms curled around it. Keith was careful not to pull at the covers too much as he wormed his way beneath them, seeking out the spaces Lance had already made warm. 

Keith never really expected to date someone like Lance. Especially not Lance. They’d kind of hated each other for a while, but it wasn’t like that anymore. He loved Lance. They made a good team. And Lance didn’t mind his “cryptid hunting,” as Lance liked to teasingly call it. Sometimes he got annoyed by it, especially if it happened in the early hours of the morning, but he never made out like it was a bad or embarrassing thing for Keith to do. 

He was glad that Lance didn’t care what he was enthusiastic about. He was happy to listen to whatever it was, and support it. Keith made sure to give Lance the same attention and support, of course, but he still just couldn’t believe how accepted he felt around Lance. 

Smiling to himself, he pressed up against Lance’s back, and rested his head on their pillows. As cheesy as it sounded, he knew that he’d already found something spectacular and one of a kind – Lance.


	85. Lance/Shiro - Headache

Lance let out a frustrated sigh as he rubbed at his temples. His head felt like it had been split in two – an awful headache had come out of nowhere, and nothing he’d done to quell it had really worked. 

That left him irritated and moody. He’d tried to sleep it off, but he was too restless and worked up to rest properly, so he’d taken to sitting on the couch with a glass of water. He’d already taken medication, but it either hadn’t kicked in yet, or wasn’t working. Really, he wished he could sleep, but it was the middle of the day and despite his headache he wasn’t tired. The only thing making him feel better was his husband.

“Still no good?” Shiro asked, his voice gentle and low. He leaned over the back of the couch to peer at Lance, a worried furrow in his brow.

Lance shook his head. Shiro gently batted his hands out of the way and pressed his fingertips to Lance’s forehead, rubbing gently. His hands felt blessedly cool, and after a minute or two, Lance let out a quiet, relieved noise. “That feels good,” he mumbled.

Shiro laughed quietly. “It’s meant to.”

Lance only hummed in reply, leaning back into Shiro’s careful touch. He hated having headaches like this. They rendered him useless, and took away his ability to do anything, even if it was just relaxing. He felt like he was wasting his weekend, though he hadn’t had anything in particular planned. 

“Feel a bit better?” Shiro probed.

Lance nodded. “Yeah, a little.”

“I’ll refill your glass for you.”

As Shiro disappeared back into the kitchen, Lance couldn’t help but smile to himself, relieved and tired. Even if he felt like absolute shit, Shiro always cheered him up. It was just one of the many reasons he was in love with Shiro. He knew the right things to say and do to make Lance feel better, even if it was for something as simple as relieving the pain of a nasty headache. 

Shiro returned and encouraged him to drink a little before setting the glass on the coffee table. He pressed his palm to Lance’s forehead for a moment, before making a small noise. Lance didn’t think he was getting sick, and there was no sign of fever, which was good. “Hopefully it’s just a bad headache,” Shiro said. 

“Hopefully,” Lance agreed. “Thank you for taking care of me.”

Shiro looked surprised by the statement, as if he hadn’t realised what he’d been doing. “It’s nothing to thank me for,” he said honestly, “you’d do the same for me. And besides, I love you. I don’t like seeing you in pain.”

Lance gave him a small, flustered smile.

Shiro just grinned and pressed a sweet kiss to his forehead, and left him be.

Lance was really happy he married that man.


	86. Keith/Lance - Valentine's

Keith bought flowers on his way home. He wasn’t a very romantic person, and he didn’t see much merit in a holiday like Valentine’s Day – why spend just one single day telling his adoring husband he loved him when he intended to do it every day? But said husband liked the holiday, so Keith made sure to put in some effort.

Besides, it wasn’t like he could forget. Pink hearts and vibrant bouquets of red roses were everywhere, and he’d seen people walking with balloons and teddy bears all day. As much as he didn’t have an opinion on the holiday, it was nice to see how happy people became with little gifts. Partners at work surprised each other with flowers and cards, and friends shared chocolates. He didn’t hate Valentine’s Day, he’d just never had a chance to celebrate it.

Until Lance. 

He liked seeing Lance happy. It made something warm and giddy unfurl in him. Lance always seemed surprised when Keith bought him something for Valentine’s Day, despite knowing that Keith had every intention to. It was nice to be able to surprise him too, but more than that, it was nice not to disappoint him. If giving cheesy gifts was what Lance secretly wanted, then Keith was more than happy to oblige. Who did it hurt, anyway? Lance loved it.

More than that, however, was the unexpected joy Keith got from giving a gift without the expectation of receiving one. He knew Lance was going to love whatever he got, and that alone was enough for him to be just as satisfied. It was a strange feeling for him to experience. Things like Christmas and birthdays, when they came around, always gave the impression of giving and receiving. Valentine’s Day felt different. Maybe it was because Lance knew Keith wasn’t entirely fond of the holiday, despite participating in it. 

That never stopped him from getting Keith a gift, though. Perhaps Keith was the more surprised one – he never expected it.

To go along with his flowers – red roses, because it didn’t get more romantic than that, apparently – he also bought Lance a candle, but not any candle. Lance was completely obsessed with this one scent from a little speciality shop in the city, and it had taken Keith his entire lunch break to get there, but it was definitely worth it. The candle was blue, and scented like blueberries and fresh water. Considering blue was Lance’s favour colour, it clearly became his favourite candle, too. 

He got a lot of knowing looks when he walked around with a prettily wrapped gift bag and a bouquet of roses, but he didn’t care. Lance would love it and that’s all that mattered. This was their first Valentine’s as a married couple, and although they weren’t going out (they’d both wanted just a night in, with Lance promising to cook dinner and the likelihood of something a little more private happening between the two of them later was pretty high. 

And besides, what did he care if he got strange looks while walking around with Valentine’s Day gifts?

Lance was going to be happy and that’s all he cared about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentine's Day ❤


	87. Keith/Lance - Gesture

Lance had noticed that Keith had a sort of habit with his fingers. Whenever he was sitting still or idle, he’d fiddle with the – rolling pens, biting his nails, flexing, rubbing his thumb against his fingertips in turn. It was mostly a subconscious habit, as far as he could tell. Never anything too distracting or too complicated, just something little that kept his hands busy. 

He just put it down as another one of Keith’s random little quirks. 

There were times that the habit benefitted Lance in some way, though. Like when they were lying together on the couch, usually watching a movie or relaxing, Keith’s fingers would always find a strip of bare skin at his stomach and waist. His fingertips would draw the gentlest, lightest circles possible, enough to make Lance shiver with a nice feeling. He liked it when Keith did that.

Other times, like when they were holding hands, Keith’s thumb would smooth firm lines over the back of his palm. That was something Lance was also known to do, but not nearly as often as Keith, whose hands never seemed to be still. It was a very soothing, relaxing gesture, one that Lance was quite fond of. Of course, he was quite fond of everything Keith did (except steal the covers at night), but that was beside the point.

He sometimes wondered if there was more to the little gestures than there seemed. Sometimes, when Keith was upset or overwhelmed, the way he’d rub his fingers together became more frantic or aggravated. He hated showing anything he perceived as weakness, and refused to be sad or vulnerable around other people. Fiddling with his fingers helped him hold back what he didn’t want showing, and for the time being at least, it was almost like a way to stop himself from panicking or getting anxious.

Whatever it was, Lance didn’t mind. If it was a coping mechanism, a subconscious habit, a way to show a little affection when he was relaxed and comfortable, even all of those things, he didn’t think it mattered. Keith was Keith, and he was comfortable being himself around Lance, even if that meant he was a little weak. He’d come to trust Lance with himself, and that was something Lance would never betray. He treated Keith gently when the situation called for it, knowing that Keith’s self-esteem could sometimes be fragile, no matter how strong he seemed.

That was what people who were in love did for each other, he thought.


	88. Keith/Lance - Motion

Lance was busy reading while he waited for his mate to return home. There wasn’t much else he could do now that he was this pregnant – almost seven months along. His baby bump had started rapidly swelling, and now walking for extended periods of time left him exhausted and uncomfortable. It was better if he took it easy, not only for himself, but for his baby, too.

Omega pregnancies were known for being delicate, even more so for male omegas. Lance and Keith had discussed having children at length, and as they were both omegas, but in the end Keith hadn’t been as invested in the idea of children as Lance had. For a while, he hadn’t wanted them, and Lance had accepted that, but recently he’d changed his mind. He’d grown more confident in himself, and wanted to have children with Lance. Months of planning had led to Lance’s pregnancy – Keith wanted him to carry their first child.

Before the pregnancy, they’d moved to a more rural area, where the nearest shop was half an hour away by car. They were close to Keith’s brother Shiro, and Shiro’s mate Matt, as well as Lance’s childhood home where his parents and grandparents lived, so they liked the area for all the right reasons. The only time they found it challenging was when one had to leave while the other stayed behind – usually Lance was left at home due to his pregnancy. 

It was a recent development, but it left Lance bored and antsy. He knew it wasn’t good for him to be so active when even the slightest bump could endanger his baby, but he was bored at home without Keith to dote on him. He’d recently taken to reading in the rocking chair by the largest window in the lounge room. Coincidentally, it was one that had a great view of their driveway.

Sighing, he set aside his book, and rubbed a hand over his rounded stomach. Maybe it was the hormones, but he really missed Keith when he wasn’t around. Even if Keith was just out of his line of sight he found himself perking up, eyes anxiously looking for him. Matt had told him he’d been the same way when he was pregnant for the first time, and that reassured Lance a little, but it didn’t make him miss Keith any less.

“Your father will be home soon,” he told his baby, as he pressed his palm flat against his stomach. A little kick replied to him, making Lance smile to himself. He liked to think he was having a conversation with his baby, or the baby was responding to his voice. Maybe the baby liked the gentle motion of the rocking chair.

With another sigh, he turned his gaze back out of the window. He knew he was going to be whiny and clingy when Keith got home, more than what was probably decent, but he just really missed his mate. There was nothing better than Keith’s vibrant omega scent or the way he held Lance’s hips still so he could hug Lance close. Even if he wasn’t carrying their child, he was just as excited about the pregnancy as Lance was, and that really made Lance’s heart swell.

He couldn’t have wanted a better mate.


	89. Keith/Lance - Neighbour

Lance’s cat had recently made friends with his new neighbour’s cat. He’d been a bit worried at first, mostly because he’d only just recently started letting Blue out of the house. As far as he knew, she’d been abandoned on the street when she was only a few weeks old – that was where he first found her. 

Since then he’d kept her indoors to make sure she grew up healthy, and so that she knew this was her home. He wasn’t sure if other cats would attack her, and if she’d be able to stay out of trouble on her own.

The neighbour’s cat seemed friendly enough, though. It was only a little smaller than Blue, though it had a bit of a rougher exterior. The cat’s fur was dark and sleek, and it had a red collar, but Lance had never been close enough to it to make out the name engraved on the little tag. 

From what Lance could tell, the cat was friendly enough. Blue would sit on the back porch and watch it with curiously high ears, but for the first few days, the black cat wouldn’t come close. Eventually it did, though, slinking up in the shadows to cautiously edge its way onto the veranda. Lance had watched from inside, the back door slightly cracked open so Blue could dart back inside if she needed to. 

But the cat just seemed curious about its neighbour. It spent a few minutes lingering on the porch, giving Blue a few cautionary sniffs, before disappearing back to its house. The cat’s visits became more frequent after that, until they were an everyday experience. Lance found himself mostly unsurprised whenever he found the black cat laying with Blue in the sun, or lounging around on one of his deck chairs. He was glad Blue had found herself a friend. 

The black cat started liking him, too. That was something Lance was actually surprised about. It let him approach it, and scratch under its chin. He half thought that Blue had given the black cat a talking to, or maybe she had told it that it could trust him. Still, he’d gotten close enough to the cat to read its tag, and promptly started laughing at its name – Red. The cats were like a matching pair.

After a while, Lance started wondering what the cat’s owner was like. He’d only seen the guy a handful of times, but he had a handsome face and strong shoulders. Lance definitely hadn’t stared for as long as he could. 

One time, when the cats were exploring Lance’s yard, he heard his neighbour call out Red’s name. Their eyes had met across the fence for a moment, and Lance felt like something silent was said. His neighbour’s face had sort of… fallen open, like he hadn’t seen Lance before. He might not have. Lance knew he wasn’t the most attractive guy out there, but he thought he had a nice smile, and he’d smiled really big at the handsome man.

He kind of wanted to meet his neighbour.

Maybe the cats were onto something.


	90. Keith/Lance - Living

It was the simple things in life that Lance was starting to notice. He’d moved in with his boyfriend, Keith, just two weeks ago, and since then they’d spent a lot of time figuring out how to revolve around each other’s space without overstepping boundaries or being two distant.

Lance had found that, surprisingly, the chores had been the easiest thing to divide up. Keith would put the washing on and hang it up to dry, and then Lance would fold everything. He was much better at that anyway, and it meant he was able to separate their clothes without mixing anything up. Since he hated touching dirty dishes, Keith would wash them, and Lance would dry and put everything away. They alternated days cooking, but it was usually Lance who did that, since he was better at it. 

Things like making the bed fell to Lance, too. He liked having lots of pillows and Keith didn’t, and considering Keith had let him pile them on, he thought it was probably his responsibility to organise them. When it came time to wash and change the sheets, however, Keith would do that.

It was surprising how easy they settled into their routine. Others had been worried that they’d clash a lot more now that they were always together, but they didn’t. Granted, it had only been two weeks, but Lance felt confident that they’d do okay even if they did have an argument. And it wasn’t like they instantly meshed – they’d moved into Keith’s apartment because it was bigger, and that meant Lance had wanted to move things around a little, and had had to find space for his possessions. Keith wasn’t a very organised person, so it had been a bit of a challenge to squeeze his clothes into the drawers and find space for all his baking utensils.

Still, none of that could really eclipse the happiness he felt at finally taking that next step with Keith. They’d been together for three years now, though they’d known each other for longer. It felt nice to be able to say, “My boyfriend is at home waiting for me,” or something like that. It sent a little thrill of excitement through him, one that had yet to wear off. 

Living together was all about making compromises, and they’d both learned how to do that well, he liked to think. They could manage living together. They had been ready for this step in their relationship for far too long now, anyway.

And besides, who could really blame them for being so deliriously happy? That’s what happened when a person was in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been incredibly sick today, so much so that I can't even keep down water, so I haven't properly edited this (really short) piece. I'll fix it up when I'm feeling better tomorrow.


	91. Lance/Shiro - Bath

For the first time in what felt like a month, Lance lowered himself into a perfectly tailored bath, content to spend the next hour completely uninterrupted. He’d layered the just-too-hot water with sweet-smelling bath crystals and little petals designed to make the water more relaxing. Scented candles sat around the rim, in between them his collection of luxuries body scrubs and gentle face masks.

As much as he didn’t want to be away from his newborn baby, he knew he needed some time to pamper himself. The baby was a month old now, and thriving. Little Nicolás was more than a handful, but he was worth every early morning and dirty nappy. He was the first child Lance and Shiro had, and he meant everything to them.

Lance still remembered all the months they spent trying to find a name for him. They’d sit on the couch surrounded by mountains of baby-naming books and internet searches, desperately trying to connect a name to the little life growing inside Lance’s stomach. They hadn’t known the gender of the baby until he’d been born, though not for lack of trying. It was just that Nico was shy, apparently, because he kept his knees together every time Lance went for a scan. 

They’d had a lot of ideas about possible names, though. Considering Lance’s Cuban heritage, and Shiro’s Japanese heritage, they wanted something to reflect the cultures their baby would grow up with. 

Lance liked the idea of naming the baby after Shiro, or even Shiro’s father, as it was something often done with first-born sons in his family (if their child had been a boy). Shiro had wanted to give their baby his or her own identity, so they’d discarded that idea. In a similar way, Shiro was very smitten with the Hispanic names common in Lance’s family, and he’d wanted to give their baby a name that reflected that. Lance liked the idea, but he didn’t want something incredibly accented, and he worried that a difficult-to-pronounce name might cause problems for their child when it came to school.

In the end, they’d decided on giving their child a more Japanese name if they turned out to be a girl (as they had more female names they liked from Shiro’s side of things) and a Hispanic name if the baby was a boy. When Lance had suggested Nicolás, Shiro had given him this little secret smile, looking incredibly amused with himself.

“Nico is like… an onomatopoeia word for smile,” he said around quiet chuckles. “In Japanese, I mean. It’s sort of like the sound people imagine happens when someone smiles. It’s not really a word, or anything, but it’s cute.”

Lance had grinned when Shiro had demonstrated, putting his fingertips to the corners of his smile to give Lance a big, cheesy smile. A name that combined their cultures, even in such a subtle way? It seemed perfect.

And thus little Nico was born.

Now, a month later, and it finally felt like they were settling into a routine. Lance had been very protective of Nico for a few weeks, and had been on the verge of tears when he found himself unable to see Nico nestled in someone’s arms. He was pretty sure he did start crying once when he woke up from a short nap and his mother had taken Nico into the kitchen so his crying wouldn’t wake Lance up.

But he was better now. More confident. Nico had just seemed so small, so fragile when Lance first held him… he couldn’t help his instincts, and had felt overwhelmed by them. All the love and support from his family and friends – and Shiro – had given him the strength to overcome that. It felt like ages had passed since Nico was born, even though it had only been a month.

That’s why Lance was content to take an extended bath. He had all his pampering things out, and a big, fluffy towel waiting for him when he was done. Nico had already been given his last feed for the evening, with his next feed expected to be around eleven or twelve at night, depending on when he became hungry. 

To get him to sleep, Shiro was reading him a book, one of the ones they’d been given at Nico’s baby shower. Lance knew that Nico absolutely adored the sound of Shiro’s voice, especially when he was laid against Shiro’s chest, with his ear pressed skin-to-skin so he could hear the gentle, reverberating rumbles that came with each word. 

Lance got on with his bath. The water cooled to a pleasant temperature, and the scent of his bath crystals filled the air. He hadn’t been so relaxed in a while. All his worries were off his shoulders, and for the time being, he could luxuriate in a comforting bath with all his scrubs and creams and masks.

When he was ready to get out, he drained the bath and wrapped himself in his fluffy towel. He gave himself a few minutes to dry his skin and brush his hair before putting on his softest pair of pyjamas. He hadn’t felt this pampered since before he’d given birth and Shiro would regularly join him for his baths and give him gentle massages afterwards.

Venturing out into the master bedroom, Lance found Shiro half-asleep on the rocking chair, the book slumped across his knees. Nico was resting high in his chest, cradled in one of Shiro’s arms, his head tucked under Shiro’s chin. He was sound asleep. It made his heart swell with affection to see his two greatest loves in life all cuddled up and sleepy.

Carefully, so that he didn’t wake his baby, he lifted Nico and placed him down in his crib. There was a small amount of grizzling like usual, but he didn’t wake, and settled after Lance traced gentle circles on his tummy for a few minutes. Lance felt Shiro watching him, but didn’t risk breaking his concentration in case Nico woke up, so he didn’t meet his husband’s gaze.

With the baby asleep, Lance and Shiro went to bed, turning off the lamps as they did. Lance cuddled up against Shiro’s chest, resting his head where his son’s had been only minutes before. He could feel the rhythmic rise and fall of Shiro’s chest as he breathed in and out, and it was quickly lulling him to sleep.

“Did you enjoy your bath?” Shiro murmured, more asleep than awake. “You smell really nice. Like Nico.”

Lance could only hum, sleepy and happy. Shiro’s pleased rumble made his toes curl with delight.

He’d never been more at ease.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be honest I don't really like this name for them, but it was all I could pick on such short notice aha


	92. Lance/Shiro - Rearrange

Shiro was exhausted. It had been a busy day at work, and he was more than glad to finally be home, even if he was a little late. There had been several unscheduled meetings that ran for longer than he’d wanted them to. He’d already called ahead to warn Lance that he wouldn’t be on time, and as much as Lance preferred for them to share meals, he knew that Shiro’s job was important, and never held it against Shiro when he was busy.

It was nice to come home to a warm house. He pulled off his jacket in the front entryway and nudged off his shoes, leaving everything unnecessary by the door. From the smell of the air he could tell Lance had been cooking, and whatever it was smelt delicious. That was nothing unusual for Lance’s cooking, though. 

There wasn’t really much that could beat the feeling of coming home. Shiro used to dread it. He’d absolutely hated spending even more time alone with nothing but his thoughts for company. That changed for the better when he met Lance though, as most things did. He and Lance now shared Shiro’s home, and it felt like Lance had permeated every corner, tweaking what Shiro knew as familiar into something that felt like the both of them.

Now, Shiro was more than willing to admit that he was a bit of a sap when it came to Lance. He just loved him a lot, and was more than happy to express that in every small way he could. That included loving all the little changes Lance made to the house, and while he adored how comforting Lance had made their bedroom and how organised the bathroom had become, Shiro really loved what he’d done to the lounge room.

To make the house feel a bit more like a home for both of them, they’d replaced the couches and rearranged the furniture. Nothing extravagant, but just enough to feel like a change had been made. There were new pillows on the couch, including this one with colour-changing sequins that Shiro loved to play with. A throw blanket had even been added for extra softness. Lance had put a little potted succulent on the coffee table to bring a bit more life into the room, too. How could Shiro not like that? His home felt lived in and loved, instead of something he hastily threw together and never changed.

So coming home really was the best part of his day, second to only every moment he spent with his beloved Lance.


	93. Keith/Lance/Shiro - Triad

There was something deeply satisfying about the sight of Shiro in bed. The very idea that he was all rugged up and fast sleep was stupidly appealing for reasons that neither Lance nor Keith had yet to understand. 

It wasn’t like Shiro was generally ever unattractive – he had no bad angles, long eyelashes to die for, and the cutest bedhead ever. He was handsome in a classic way, a fact only made more prominent by his gentle attitude and endlessly polite manners. With so much going for him, it was impossible not to like him, or at the very least to not respect him. Lance and Keith were just allowed to like him a little more than others. Shiro was their alpha, after all. 

And currently, their alpha was very tired.

Lance didn’t blame him. The three of them had decided to ease off their suppressants now that they had bonded so that they could experience heats and ruts normally. That meant their first few cycles, particularly the one they had right off the bat, were going to be difficult. It could go either way really, depending on the person, but it seemed that Shiro’s rut had caught him off guard and a little too much on the aggressive side. Neither one of the omegas were in heat, so they weren’t exactly able to handle that sort of roughness, despite desperately wanting to help Shiro through his rut.

In the end Shiro had spent it at a rut hotel. He’d come home after two days – alpha ruts were shorter than omega heats when they didn’t have a receiving partner – and after greeting his omegas, had gone straight to bed. He was thoroughly exhausted, and looked happy to be back somewhere familiar.

While he’d been gone, Lance had Keith had done their best to remain patient and supportive, as much as they could be. They kept the house clean and fed themselves. It was different without Shiro there; they’d become used to his presence, and were lonely without him. Their mateship was a triad, after all, and felt the best when they were all around.

Lance was glad to have Shiro back. He went into the bedroom to check on Shiro periodically, fluffing his pillows and adjusting the blanket so that his alpha remained comfortable. Sometimes Shiro would sleepily blink his eyes open and give Lance a darling little smile, looking flustered and happy to be back around his omegas. He really was the best alpha they could have asked for.

At the end of the day, he and Keith could finally join Shiro in bed. They stood in the doorway and glanced at one another – they’d always been able to tell what the other was thinking, and as infuriating as it could sometimes be, it was also very helpful. Lance had bonded to Keith before he’d bonded to Shiro, so their connection was older and deeper. It felt special that they could both share a love for Shiro without any feelings of jealousy or abandonment, which had been a fear of his, despite how much Keith reminded him that he’d never love anyone the way he loved Lance. 

They climbed into bed on either side of Shiro, curling up in the spaces left around him. A big bed was needed to fit them all, but a little cuddling never hurt anyone, not when one had a chest as nice as Shiro’s to rest their head on.

“You locked the front door, right?” Lance whispered, as he listened to Keith shift around after they’d turned the bedside lamp off. 

“Yeah.” Keith reached across Shiro’s chest to paw at Lance, fingers dragging down Lance’s arm – making sure his omega was in bed with him. “You put the food away?”

“It’s in the fridge.” 

Knowing that everything was as it should be, Lance let out a happy hum, and nuzzled against Shiro’s side. Their alpha slept on, none the wiser, though he did soften when his subconsciousness realised his omegas were there. 

Keith let out a replying rumble, and mumbled, “Love you.”

“Love you too.” There was a smile in Lance’s voice, even he could hear it. He really did love his mates.

Soon enough, they lapsed into silence, and were fast asleep.


	94. Keith/Lance - Superhero

In the distance a siren blasted, a rising and falling wail that echoed around the dark, stagnant apartment. Lance was certain nothing had been past the threshold in the last three months at least, probably longer. Dust made the air thick and stale. He’d shaken the coverings off the lone armchair and coffee table in the lounge room to clear space for himself, but it had stirred the dust, and now he watched motes float through the slice of orange light falling in from the flickering streetlamp. 

He hated this. The running, the danger, the _fear._ Time was constantly running out, ticking down in the back of his head like a nervous twitch. It made him too restless to sleep and consumed his thoughts with a hunger that propelled his heart into his throat. 

Keith was meant to be here by now.

Anxious, Lance rubbed his right thumb over the stark blue veins throbbing at the inside of his left wrist. Looking too closely produced the same anxious feeling as impatiently waiting for Keith did. Even if Keith said he couldn’t see any blackness anymore, Lance could. The poison hadn’t left him yet, hadn’t eased its grip on his powers or his wellbeing. Even coming up the dingy stairwells to the third floor of this apartment building had left him wheezing. The dust surely didn’t help.

Frustrated, he tilted his head against the back of the armchair and directed his eyes out of the solitary window, where a gap in the thick curtains gave him a view of the city. He was well above the streetlamp, but the top of it had broken, so the exposed bulb cast light high up. This apartment building was in a shitty neighbourhood where a person was more likely to find a broken-in car than a bus stop. No one who wasn’t looking for trouble travelled the streets at night. The apartment was just as shitty – cramped, mouldy, with weak floorboards and a sinking ceiling. No problems of which were caused by the fact that it hadn’t been used or cleaned in an indefinite amount of time, mind. 

He turned his head away and hid in the shadow the back of the chair cast, legs drawn up. When he closed his eyes, he almost thought his enhanced hearing had returned. If he wished hard enough, then maybe it would. But no, his ears could only pick up the usual cacophony of racket the city shouted. The wailing siren, a sharp car horn accompanied by screeching tires, a rattling screen door, footsteps passing on the floor above him. He pitied anyone who lived above him; the elevator was out of order. He doubted it had ever been in order in the first place.

Why Keith chose this place as his safe house baffled Lance.

Then again, maybe he chose it because it was so shitty. There were so many people scrawling around like secretive cockroaches in this neighbourhood that one more like Lance made no difference. Here, people didn’t look at faces and didn’t meet eyes. 

He reckoned that his neighbours were more likely to tell one another apart by their shoes than by their face. People here were identified by whatever they did the loudest, even if that loud thing was silent. For example: the Guy across the hall bought drugs off the street corner (a naturally silent affair, but made prominent for said Guy because it was the only time he left the building). There were others with louder marks: the Drunk Abuser upstairs who beat the crap out of his wife every night, the Crazy Cat Lady who owned more felines than teeth and seemed to be constantly tripping over them, that one Runaway Kid who had just enough cash for rent and always came back smelling like hamburgers. 

Point is, to them and everyone else living in this rat hole, Lance wasn’t a face or a name. He was that guy who couldn’t make it up three flights of stairs without coughing up a lung. Or that guy who went into the apartment that was always locked. He wasn’t memorable. He looked suspicious enough to fit right in. If he’d tried to be friendly he would have stood out a heck of a lot more, and then people really wouldn’t have trusted him. 

Didn’t really mean he enjoyed being there, though. Waiting for Keith was a long and dry experience, and each set of footsteps on the stairs made him jumpy. It was torture. He knew Keith could handle himself – he’d been battling with Keith for ages now – but that didn’t stop him from worrying. The guy who poisoned him was still out there, and his poison could strip someone of their powers, even their physical enhancements. There was no telling what other poisons he had.

And as much as Lance was worried about Keith-the-hero, he was more worried about Keith-the-boy-I-love.


	95. Keith/Lance - Starlight

Lance’s family owned and ran a star farm. It was kind of a slow business, and those with a good reputation fluctuated between insane popularity and making just enough to keep the business open. Lately, a growing trend favouring natural remedies and foods had been running its course, so all sorts of farming, growing, and harvesting business were flourishing. 

The star farm was doing well. It was located away from the city, as star farms had to be – the light from stars that were close enough to the ground to harvest could not compete with light pollution and would dissipate if the night wasn’t dark enough. His family’s farm was nestled in between a crescent-shaped mountain range, the mouth of which faced the open ocean. Very picturesque. Lots of stars sunk down over the water and were blown inwards by the wind and tide, where they rested on the flat plains boxed in by the mountains. 

It was a perfect place for a star farm.

Hence why they were there.

A lot of things could be farmed from a star. Energy, light, dust – all of it could be used in medicine, in art supplies, in jewellery and trinkets. Lance’s family specialised in harvesting the light of the stars, storing them in crystal-shaped vials to sell once it had been cleaned. The stars would inevitably burn out after a month or so after falling to Earth, so his family kept them safe and healthy until their light went out. They often left sparkling ashes – stardust – which they either sold to a wholesaler or used for a variety of small purposes.

Lance liked working on the farm. Not everyone could just walk up to a star and not get burned – a person had to have a certain knack for it, a way of understand such an abundant collection of energy instinctively hardwired into their being. His family generally had a gift for it, and he was no exception. He loved stars. They made him feel connected. To what, he hadn’t quite decided yet, but connected nevertheless. 

One day, a new customer arrived at the store. Their property was huge, and largely assigned to them from the government. It stretched between the mountains all the way to the ocean, encompassing the entire area where stars were known to fall or wash up, so that the stars legally remained in their possession. Their family home was close to the road, but the storefront was closer. The large, ornamental building was built almost like a shrine, with a slanted, tiled roof and cylindrical columns. Inside matched what one would expect after seeing the outside; sleek wooden floors, gilded edges to the countertops, clear glass displays brandishing all sorts of star-made products. There was even a part of the building dedicated to education and the history of star farming (this was secretly Lance’s favourite part of the property, aside from the star field of course. He liked how quiet and respectful it felt inside the gallery wing).

It was actually in the gallery room where Lance found the new customer. There were actually two people, both male, though the younger one – around Lance’s age, probably – looked like he wanted to be anywhere else. 

He was cute, though. In a grumpy kind of way.

“Hello, can I help you?” Lance asked, as he spotted them. He had a basket of harvested starlight vials under his arm, and he was still wearing his uniform. He sort of wished he’d at least washed the glittery, white ash off his apron, face and hands before coming inside, but he hadn’t thought they’d get any guests at this time. He was the only person working at the moment, the rest of his family was back home or tending to the stars out in the star field. 

“Oh! Sorry for arriving so late at night,” the older man said, looking somewhat shamefaced as he strode forwards to offer Lance his hand. “My name is Shiro.”

“Don’t worry about it, Shiro,” Lance said. Since star harvesting could only be done when it was dark out, their farm was pretty much always open. Lance didn’t work the night shifts, but it was only late evening. “I’m Lance.”

“Nice to meet you.” Shiro had a prominent scar across his nose, but it didn’t make him any less handsome. He gestured to the boy beside him, the scowling one. “This is Keith.”

“Nice to meet you, too,” Lance said to both of them. Unbidden, his eyes flickered towards Keith. He was surprised to find Keith starting at him, dark eyes intense, but the moment he was caught he looked away. Lance felt flushed with nervousness as he put his best smile on.

Turned out, Shiro came to see if any star-made medicine could help with Keith’s insomnia. Shiro was Keith’s guardian, or at least close enough to it that he felt very responsible for Keith. To Lance, it looked like they had a pretty close bond. Maybe they’d grown up together.

Regarding insomnia, there were studies that said star-made products could help. Sometimes the dust from stars would be mixed in with specially made creams and lotions to relax the mind enough to sleep. Other times the dust would be mixed in with tea or syrups to inspire sleepiness in those who struggled to drift off. Lance also knew that the light harvested from stars was used to power nightlights and other little glowing trinkets that were particularly effective with lulling children to sleep.

The effectiveness of each method really depended on the person. Lance showed Shiro what they had currently in stock, but recommended he talk to Lance’s aunt, who was an insomnia sufferer herself and could better suggest what would work. He called her down from the main house, feeling lucky that her family was currently visiting to help with a shower of stars that had fallen last week.

While Lance and Shiro talked, Lance couldn’t help but notice Keith wandering off. His aunt arrived promptly, but Shiro looked disappointed that Keith hadn’t stuck around to listen, and perhaps even a little worried.

“Don’t worry, I’ll show him around,” Lance said, when Shiro gave him an apologetic look. “Maybe something here will catch his eye.”

Leaving his aunt to tend to Shiro, Lance went searching for Keith. He found him in the gallery again, looking at one of the glass photographs that showed a fallen star. It was pretty as far as photographs went, but not nearly as interesting at the glass panes that showed graphs and diagrams of how the stars were harvested. Lance wondered if Keith wanted to see the stars for himself.

There was only one way to find out, he supposed.

“Do you like the stars?” 

Keith startled at the question, hunching into his shoulders. He looked like a cat, tensed and ready to flee at any moment. He didn’t answer Lance’s question, but Lance figured that the surprised look on Keith’s face said he was still trying to come up with something to say.

“There are heaps out in the star field if you want to see,” Lance offered. He tried to make his face seem open and relaxed, hoping that Keith would take the invitation. It wasn’t like he’d offer it to just anyone, but Keith felt… different. And it wasn’t just because he was handsome.

“Okay,” Keith forced out. If his eyes hadn’t suddenly sparkled with excitement, Lance would’ve been worried that Keith was only humouring him.

The star fields were a relatively short walk from the store, in the opposite direction to the main house. The path was marked by stones and lit by lamps that glowed with starlight. The field itself was less of a field and more of a plain; a massive stretch of flat and rocky land between the shore and the distant mountains. Lance took Keith down towards the beach where the dirt was half sand and there weren’t as many sharp ridges to navigate. A new star had fallen that evening. It had been what he’d harvested before going back to the store.

It was right where he left it. Stars could be big or small, ranging anywhere between the size of a tennis ball to the size of a particularly overgrown watermelon. This one was somewhere in between. Generally spherical, stars were balls of light with no real solid presence. They did instil a sense of sensation when touched, and had a weight to them, but gravity didn’t work on a star the way it did on a human. Even if the star had a tangible weight, it could be moved by the slightest breeze, and posed no problem when it needed to be relocated.

“Do they hurt to touch?” Keith asked, as Lance took him closer to the star.

“If you’re not careful,” Lance said. When the star was in reach, he put one hand out, letting the light sink through his fingers. He cupped his hand and drew the star closer, using both hands to steady it as it bobbed like an airy balloon. The light warmed his skin and bled through the gaps between his fingers, a warm yellow colour. “Want to try?”

Keith fearlessly put a hand forwards. He flinched for a moment when his fingers came in contact with the light – it wasn’t like normal light from a bulb that filled a space and had no end; a star had a clearly defined light. It seemed to fascinate Keith.

“Pretty cool, huh?” Lance grinned. He watched Keith wave his fingers through the star’s light, entranced. It cast a gentle glow on his face. “You should see them when they fall over the ocean. They make the prettiest patterns on the water’s surface.”

An absentminded smile touched Keith’s face. He was silent for a moment, but then met Lance’s eyes. “Do you really think it could help me? With- with the sleeping problems, I mean.”

Lance shrugged a shoulder, and gave Keith a small smile. “They have a funny way of helping people.”

“The stars?”

Lance nodded. “If you want them to help, then they will. Sometimes I think it’s a mind game, where if you believe enough than everything is true. Sometimes it’s a matter of believing in the science behind it. But sometimes…” 

“Sometimes?” Keith prompted.

“Sometimes it’s just nice to know something like this exists,” Lance admitted. He dug under the collar of his shirt with one hand to produce the necklace he always wore, one he’d made himself using a crystal vial imbued with starlight. “This helps me sleep. It’s not too bright, not too dull… it feels warm, too.”

Keith stared at the crystal with rapt eyes, looking like he desperately wanted to believe that something so simple could help him. “I didn’t see anything like that in the store,” he said, hesitant.

Lance grinned again, flushing when Keith’s eyes went a little wide. There really was something different about Keith. “I think I know exactly where you can get one.”


	96. Keith/Lance/Shiro - Stubborn

Shiro could smell frustration turning his scent bitter. He folded his arms across his chest as he watched Lance stubbornly clean the kitchen counter. He’d always told himself never to interfere with his omega’s instincts, to give Lance the space and time he needed to settle his mind, but this was pushing his patience.

It didn’t help that Keith was acting up, too. As the top alpha, it was Shiro’s job to keep his omega and his subordinate alpha in line, to make sure they were always happy and healthy and protected. His instincts demanded he keep his family safe, and although he could generally ignore them, situations like this gave him trouble. He’d been curbing Keith’s frustrated anger all morning, but he was starting to side with Keith.

Lance was pregnant. Considering they’d tried for a pup on their last heat together, this fact wasn’t very surprising. Having a pregnant omega had heightened both Shiro’s and Keith’s instincts, and it had been a battle to keep them under wraps, especially for Keith. They were doing well, Shiro thought. So the fact that Lance was pregnant wasn’t the problem.

The problem was that Lance was pregnant and sick. Just a cold, the doctor had informed them, nothing that could harm Lance or the pup so long as appropriate measures were made. Namely, lots of bed rest, water, and pregnancy-safe medication to ease discomfort. 

Lance wouldn’t stay in bed. Their bed was actually a nest, and would likely be that way until after their pup had been born, but Shiro liked it. Lance was always adding to the nest, adjusting things here and there to make it more comfortable for himself. His instincts were wild and unmanageable when he was nesting, so it was best to leave him be. 

It wasn’t a common occurrence for Lance to fall prey to those instincts – he only became all-omega when he was in heat. So to have him be so single-mindedly focused on cleaning, something he did when he was nesting, unsettled Shiro.

Mostly because Lance was so focused on it that he refused to rest.

Keith was far less patient with Lance’s instincts than Shiro was. He was growling to himself, switching between pacing and burying himself under Shiro’s arm to stop himself from dragging Lance to the bedroom by force. His aggression was driven entirely by fear – Shiro could smell it on his scent. Keith was so worried about Lance that he didn’t know what to do with himself. 

He could tell the moment his patience ran out – when Lance started coughing. 

“Shiro?” Keith glanced up at him, sensing the change in Shiro’s scent.

Shiro rubbed Keith’s arm and breathed in a lungful of his spicy alpha scent before pulling away. “Enough is enough,” he murmured after he was sure his voice wouldn’t come out as a growl. He wasn’t angry with either of his mates and he didn’t want them thinking he was. 

Lance was bent over the kitchen counter, one hand pressed to his tiny baby bump, the other wiping at his nose. His cheeks were as flushed as ever, and Shiro immediately worried that he’d developed a fever. 

“That’s enough,” he told Lance, catching his hand before he could reach for his washcloth again. He made sure to keep his voice low and even. Lance shot him a dirty look, growling. He wasn’t completely himself, and Shiro knew that. “You’re sick, so stop being stubborn, and go lay in the nest.”

Lance made no move to comply.

“Go lay in the nest, Lance,” Shiro repeated, firmer. His voice had an alpha growl in it, one he never usually used, knowing it could make all mates subordinate to him obey. But this situation called for it. He knew that if Lance was thinking rationally, he would have never allowed himself to endanger their child like this. He needed the rest and Shiro was going to make sure he got it.

He took Lance by the arm and guided him to the bedroom. Lance all but collapsed against the bed the moment he saw it, his frantic scent easing away. Shiro got him a glass of water, helped him take his medicine, and changed Lance into his pyjamas, a task made difficult by Lance’s heavy limbs. Knowing Lance’s nightly routine, he also brushed Lance’s hair for him as best as he could, and rubbed moisturizer into his hands. If he let himself massage Lance’s palms for a little longer than necessary, neither one of them mentioned it.

By the time he was done, Lance was completely boneless, and on the verge of sleep. “I’m sorry,” Lance croaked, giving Shiro a teary look.

“Rest now,” Shiro urged him. He bent over to kiss Lance’s forehead, and nuzzled their noses together. “We’ll talk in the morning, alright? Don’t worry. We understand, and we love you. Get some sleep, my treasure.” He pressed a kiss to Lance’s baby bump for good measure, and waited until Lance had drifted off before standing.

Lance wasn’t going to be in trouble. Shiro would never hold a lapse in control over him, especially not when he was ill and flooded with hormones. They would need to talk in the morning to see if anything in particular had set Lance off, so that Shiro could stop it from happening again. He didn’t want Lance thinking he was going to be chastised, but the comfortable look on Lance’s face told him that the omega knew everything was alright.

As he was leaving the bedroom, he found Keith hovering in the hallway. Keith bullied his way into Shiro’s arms without a word, sagging. Shiro patted his hair and kissed his forehead, too. “Can you stay with him?” He asked. He knew Keith was all but whining to go lay with Lance, just to calm himself down. Asking like he had would probably make Keith feel better.

The confident spark in his eye told him that Shiro’s assumption was correct. Before he went into the bedroom, Keith grabbed him by the neck and urged him down low enough to kiss his forehead. It was a sweet gesture, one that made Shiro huff with laughter. 

As tumultuous as their days could sometimes be, he never doubted how much he and his mates loved one another. That was something he could always count on.


	97. Keith/Lance - Courting

Keith winced as Allura stared him down. His instincts were all ruffled, sensing the challenge the older alpha was issuing him. He wouldn’t let himself rise to the bait though, not when so much was at stake. Allura was waiting for him to slip up, to do something out of line that would give her reason to deny him. And although he was frustrated by her behaviour, he understood it, too. She didn’t want some aggressive, hair-trigger alpha anywhere near her younger, omega brother.

God, even he was protective of Lance, and they weren’t even courting yet. He’d liked Lance for ages, and had been recklessly pining until he plucked up the courage to finally ask to court him. Of course, he hadn’t gotten that far yet. Shiro had said that he should be proper about it, that Lance would appreciate the effort. Considering Keith had no other ideas, he agreed.

And so he asked Allura. She’d had a big hand in raising Lance, and Keith knew how much Lance adored her. He wanted her approval, wanted to know that someone so important to Lance thought he was good enough. 

Allura didn’t make it easy. For one, she was intimidating. Her stares could make anyone submit, regardless of their second gender. Keith had never known anyone to be able to stand up to Allura and win. It just wasn’t possible. She was a very fair person though, so Keith couldn’t dislike her. It was the opposite actually. She was a good person and she adored Lance, and that was enough to win Keith over. 

He still hadn’t worked out how to impress her, however. Although he was pretty sure a lot of it had been a joke at his expense, she’d put him through “trials”, trying to work out if he was good enough for Lance. He’d tried to cook, but he wasn’t handy in the kitchen. He’d also tried making something personal for Lance, a courting gift of sorts, but that attempt had gone horrendously. Allura wanted to know how he’d ask Lance for permission to court him, and he’d thought that maybe he’d ask with flowers, or while they were out for coffee, or something like that. Allura hadn’t seemed to like those ideas, though.

It left him very frustrated. He could have just asked Lance himself – he was getting impatient enough to – but that didn’t feel right. He knew it would mean a lot to Lance to have Allura’s acceptance, and although he was sure Allura wouldn’t disapprove of any relationship between them, he still wanted to get her permission first. She knew Lance better than anyone, and if she knew he was going to be happy, then there was no doubt about it.

But he really was getting impatient. He liked Lance so much, and sometimes found it hard keeping himself in check. He was going to make a fool of himself if this carried on, and was frustrated that he couldn’t think of a way to impress Allura, or Lance for that matter. 

Eventually his frustrations came to a boiling point.

“I’m just going to ask him,” he finally told Allura, grumpy and frowning. He didn’t want to waste another minute worrying. “If he likes me as much as I like him, then it doesn’t matter how I ask, it’ll be special because I’m the one asking him.”

Allura looked at him for a long moment, before a grin started to twitch at her lips. “That’s the fire I’ve been waiting for,” she declared, reaching out to put a hand on his shoulder. “You’re exactly right. You don’t need to do anything fancy because you’ve already won Lance’s heart, I know it. I just needed you to know it, too. That way you can be the best version of yourself for him.”

Keith stared back at her, stunned. Sometimes he struggled to understand others, but he understood Allura then. If Lance liked him, then he wouldn’t care about how fancily Keith asked him for permission to court. It was such a small thing too, even if it felt big. There was nothing to be worried over. Relief slowly eased the knot in his chest, and he was suddenly excited.

“He’s upstairs in his room, probably,” Allura said, as she finally let him into the house.

Keith went up to Lance’s room in a daze. His heart, upon abruptly realising what was going on, started to race. Lance was the only omega Keith had ever liked, the only person, really. He’d never let himself think he could have Lance… but maybe he could. If Allura was right – and she usually was – then maybe his pining hadn’t been so unrequited, after all. 

Lance was in his room, like Allura predicted. He glanced up when Keith entered and gave him a welcoming grin, eyes bright.

Keith sucked in a steady breath. “Hey, Lance, can I ask you something?”


	98. Keith/Lance - Captured

Wincing, Lance tried to roll his shoulders, but the cuffs were on too tight. Damn alien technology. It was completely impossible to break out of, no matter how hard to tried removing them, or breaking them on something in the cell. 

“This isn’t good,” he said again, for the twentieth time. 

Keith only grunted. He was far past words, and had been for some time. As an alpha, especially one without suppressants (all of the paladins had run out, and Coran hadn’t found a suitable replacement yet), he was prone to moments of hyper-aggression. It usually resulted in him training too hard, or pushing himself too far. He was good at never aiming that anger at anyone, and Lance thought that Shiro – the only other alpha on their team – was helping him with that.

But he couldn’t exactly blame Keith for losing control to his instincts right now. They’d been captured by radical Galra soldiers and chained up, their bayards and helmets taken. There was nothing to defend themselves with, not even their hands. Lance had lost track of how many hours they’d been stuck in their tiny cell.

It didn’t help that his scent had soured. He knew the scent of a frightened or unhappy omega could set off alphas, and it clearly wasn’t doing Keith any favours. It also didn’t help that they kind of had something between them. Lance didn’t know what, and didn’t want to put a name to it, but there was something. 

He liked Keith. More than he should have. 

“Keith, buddy? You with me?”

No such luck. Keith’s eyes darted to him, and the low growl in his throat abated for a moment. He looked Lance over deliberately, gaze slow and assessing, before he returned to growling at the door. Every line in his body was tense and coiled, his hands straining at his cuffs. Lance was concerned he was going to hurt himself. 

Lance let out a slow breath. He was worried he was falling into a stress-induced heat, something that had only happened to him once before. It was when an omega exhibited all the signs of heat but without the intense urge to nest or breed – he’d be pumped full of hormones and adrenaline instead, his body responding to extreme stress, trying to get him to flee. If he became like that, there was no telling what he’d do to get away. No telling what Keith would do, either.

So he made himself breath evenly. When Keith sensed his unease, he shuffled closer, tilting his head to the side. It exposed his neck and collarbones, and feeling oddly vulnerable at the gesture, Lance pressed in closer. Keith’s scent bloomed, heady and strong, and he let out a muffled rumble, nose buried in Lance’s hair. Lance rumbled in reply, his voice softer and higher. 

Even with the cuffs, he managed to fit himself against Keith, their legs awkwardly tangled. He felt the frantic energy in him begin to settle. Keith’s deep growling was slowing, too. Lance wouldn’t be able to relax, not when they were in danger, but he wasn’t going to panic. 

Not when he knew Keith would protect him just as fiercely as Lance would for him, if he had to. It was a just waiting game. Eventually their team would find them, and they’d be safe.

They’d have to talk after this when that time came. Alphas didn’t get so protective over omegas unless they really cared about them. And strong omegas like Lance certainly didn’t let themselves be coddled by alphas unless they cared, too. 

But Lance did care. And he had a feeling Keith cared, too.


	99. Keith/Lance/Shiro - Tired

Lance was exhausted. A long day of work and household chores had left him feeling weak and sleepy. He wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and sleep for hours and hours uninterrupted, but he couldn’t quite do that yet.

Over the last few years, he’d gotten used to falling asleep with Shiro and Keith beside him. There was something effortlessly comforting about the weight of Shiro’s arm when he put it around Lance’s waist, or the heat of Keith’s chest when he pressed in really close. The three of them had bene together for a while now, and sleeping together was a part of their routine.

But Lance really was tired that evening. Keith and Shiro had had just as busy a day as him, but he retired to bed hours before them, unable to keep his eyes open. They had a large bed, and it felt very empty with just him in it. Being alone didn’t stop him from sleeping, but it certainly wasn’t a fitful sleep. 

He half woke up when Keith finally joined him in bed. He had the faint smell of toothpaste to his breath and his toes were cold, but he sought out Lance straight away, and Lance instantly felt more comfortable. He let Keith drag him closer, his head tucked under Keith’s chin. A little bit of shifting and adjusting and then Keith was comfortable, his limbs going boneless.

Shiro joined them a few moments later. Lance could hear him wandering around the house checking winders were shut and locking the door. His footsteps were almost completely silent, but even though Lance wasn’t entirely awake, he could still hear them. The part of him that was somewhat conscious was listening for it specifically.

Keith made a small noise as Shiro’s weight dipped the mattress. Shiro slipped into bed behind Lance, his fingers tracing over Keith’s hand where it lightly rested against Lance’s waist. There was a small moment fidgeting as Shiro fit himself against the two of them. The warm weight of him slowly started to seep into Lance, and it quickly chased him back off into sleep.

He’d grown to love sharing a bed with his two partners. There was something intimate about it, even when they weren’t taking each other’s clothes off. He felt closer to them even if all they were doing was sleeping. Part of him wondered if that was because he was being vulnerable with them, and he never felt anything less than entirely protected. He could trust himself to his partners and know nothing would happen to him.

Not even bad dreams could disturb his rest.


	100. Keith/Lance/Shiro - Lion

Lance shivered as he held Blue close. The big cat weighed anywhere between forty and fifty kilos, and holding her up exhausted him, even with her magic helping as much as she could allow. Her long, slim tail brushed the ground no matter how hard he tried to keep it tucked up in his arms. 

“Don’t worry, girl,” he murmured, as he heaved her up higher against his chest. “I’ll get you warm soon.”

Snow had started to fall a few hours ago. He’d been hoping to make it to the mountains before that so he had a better chance of finding shelter, but he’d had no such luck. He needed to find somewhere warm and safe so he could tend to Blue, and time was running out. Soon the snow would be falling in feet and not inches, and he’d be buried in it. 

He was running. He was a coward and he was running, but what choice did he have? Poachers were always after omegas, especially ones out travelling alone. And an omega like him? He didn’t stand a chance. He’d be taken and forced to breed and made a slave to some brute of an alpha, and there was no telling what they’d do to Blue, his precious Blue. He had to protect her no matter what, just like she’d always protected him. 

It was hard to concentrate when snow was seeping into his shoes and through his pants, chilling his legs. He tried to keep his jacket around Blue but she was too big, and her exposed fur was turning frosty. Lance stuck to the trees away from the path, both to keep out of sight of any travellers and to avoid as much of the falling snow as possible. When he looked up he couldn’t help but wince. The clouds had turned an angry grey, too laden down by their own weight to stay suspended for much longer. 

The mountains ahead signified the start of Altea’s territory. It was ruled by King Alfor and his daughter Princess Allura, and from the rumours Lance had heard, their kingdom was a safe place for everyone to be. It didn’t matter what their gender dynamic was, so long as laws were followed and boundaries were respected. Lance’s family had headed for Altea when the war broke out – even their rural farm on the boundary between Altea and the Galra Empire had become a dangerous place to be.

Lance hadn’t been able to go with them. He had to register Blue as a magical creature, and her permit had taken a week to arrive after his family had left. He couldn’t leave her behind, but he couldn’t make his family stay, either. He’d told them he would follow as soon as he could. He hadn’t counted on poachers finding him before he made it to the mountains, but there was nothing he could do now. Not when Blue was injured and they were fast becoming trapped out in a snow storm.

An outcropping of rocks emerged between the snow-dusted trees. Lance could have cried with relief. He was still at least a day’s walk away from the mountain base – half if he didn’t have to carry Blue – so the space tucked away under the rocks was a more than welcome shelter. He had to fight his way through tangled vines and thorned roots extending down from the trees growing on top of the rocks, but the dry space within was worth a few cuts and nicks. 

The cave was as shallow as Lance expected, and littered with decaying leaves and twigs and dirt. But no snow. That was the important part. He set Blue down against the wall and ignored her disagreeing rumble as he ventured back towards the entrance. His hands were chafed raw by the time he finished shifting the vines around, covering as many spaces as he could so the wind wouldn’t get in. There was no way he could light a fire, but he had a sleeping bag shoved into his backpack, so that would have to do. 

He carried Blue to the farthest reaches of the cave, unrolled his sleeping bag, and climbed inside with her. It was a tight fit, but he figured that would keep them warmer. He had a spare jacket in his bag, so he used that as extra insulation and tucked the bag under his head like a pillow. “Warm enough?” He whispered.

Blue merely rumbled. She didn’t have the energy to speak. Exhaustion was setting in and he didn’t have the strength to do anything more than rest even though he wanted to check her wounds. His legs hurt from walking and his arms ached from carrying Blue but he pulled her closer anyway and hid his face in her fur. She smelt like home.

Sleep did not come easy, and when it did it was restless and frequently disturbed. Lance woke up any time a brush of cold wind touched him no matter how far he hunched down into the sleeping bag. He just hoped Blue was faring better.

He was only out for a few hours, but for now it was enough. Blue stretching her legs out in the sleeping bag woke him, and he was so relieved to see her moving that he dragged her closer, his arms tight around her. He wasn’t sure what woke him, aside from Blue. He couldn’t hear anything but the muffled sound of snow falling. It didn’t sound good.

“It’s kind of quiet outside, huh?” He murmured, after getting up to peer out through the vines. There was a thick layer of snow toughing everything, like he’d expected. Snow always made the world quiet, but this was different. It was like everything was hiding.

He squirmed his way back into the sleeping bag but stayed sitting up this time. Blue draped herself across her legs. He ran his fingers through her bluish fur. Her wounds healed a lot quicker than a human’s did, but he still wanted to look at it when they had somewhere better than a dusty gave to rest. Worry was creeping into his thoughts. What if there were poachers? It wasn’t like this cave had a back exit.

His fears were confirmed moments later by the sound of voices. He tensed, his scent souring, and desperately hoped the snow had covered any trail he’d left. As quietly as he could, he packed up his sleeping bag and checked over Blue’s wounds with nervous fingers. She had a bad gash on her back leg that prevented her from walking, but it was slowly starting to knit itself together. Enough to let her limp, but nothing more. 

Together they edged towards the cave entrance. He couldn’t see or smell anyone, but the way Blue’s ears flicked back told him all he needed to know. 

They were trapped. 

What was he meant to do? If he made a run for it, he’d have to carry Blue, and they’d risk being seen and caught out in the open. But if they stayed here, then they’d be found eventually. There was no part of him that doubted that. Poachers were ruthless when they had a target, and they hunted more desperately than a starving fox. If they’d caught any trace of his scent around the forest then they’d tear through it until they found him. 

Nervously, he twisted his fingers in Blue’s fur. “What do we do, Blue?” 

Her head swung towards him, eyes bluer than the ocean and swallowed by worry. He knew exactly what she was thinking before she had to say anything, and he immediately shook his head.

“No. No, I’m not leaving you.” There was no way he could. People didn’t often make bonds with creatures like Blue, not unless something very powerful tied them together. He had no idea what made Blue give herself to Lance, but she had, and she was the one thing in life that would always be the most important. He’d do anything to protect her, and he refused to abandon her in some forest just because they were in a tight situation.

His mind raced to find an answer. In snow like this, voices could travel some distance farther than they normally would. If he couldn’t see or scent the poachers, that meant they likely wouldn’t be able to see him, either. If he could get ahead of them, make it to the mountain base or at least into the thicker woods before they saw him…

Maybe he had a chance.

“Okay.” Lance stood and shook his legs out, trying to encourage warmth back into them. He hurriedly put a second pair of socks over his first to help keep his feet warm and then pulled his backpack back on. “Okay, we’re gonna make a run for it, Blue. I need you to walk as fast as you can, alright? I’ll carry you when it gets too much.”

She seemed doubtful, but wouldn’t argue. Blue had a stubborn streak a mile wide but knew when to argue with him, and this just wasn’t one of those times. He’d drag her if he had to.

After checking the surrounding area for any sign of the poachers, and upon finding none, Lance edged out of the cave. Cold bit at his exposed skin almost immediately, and he tugged his jacket around him tighter. Blue stuck close to his heels as he made for the trees. Standing on four legs, she reached well above his knees and almost to his hips. She was long and lean, her shoulders fairly wide and her snout short and dainty. With grey-blue fur (more blue than grey) and vibrant blue eyes, she was the prettiest damn cat he’d ever seen, and she still had a bit of growing to do. 

He still wondered why she picked him out of all the humans on the planet to be with.

“Managing okay?” He panted, as they slipped deeper and deeper into the forest. The snow was patchy here, most of it caught in the canopy of leaves above their heads. He avoided leaving footprints and getting wet feet by following where it was sparse. 

Blue rumbled. Sometimes her voice would drift into his head, speaking words he could understand. Sometimes she gave him images of what she wanted, like snapshots of feeling or emotion that only made sense to him and was completely impossible to explain to others. Sometimes she just made big cat noises, but he understood those, too. She was telling him she was fine, that he didn’t need to worry, but that didn’t stop him. Her limp was pronounced, her back paw hardly touching the ground as she kept pace with him.

They couldn’t keep this up.

The return of voices made him flinch. He couldn’t make out the words, not at this distance, but the tone was enough to send a chill that had nothing to do with the weather through him. Blue’s ears went straight up, her teeth bared as she pressed against his legs. Her tail coiled around his ankles, holding him steady.

“I know,” he whispered. He put his fingers back through her fur to ground himself and took a second to lean against a tree. It was suddenly difficult to breathe, and he couldn’t catch his breath. He was still exhausted, and so hungry that his stomach had given up on cramping. “We need to keep moving.”

Slowly but surely, the trees were becoming thicker. Winter had only set in a few weeks ago, and this was the first heavy onset of snow for the season, so the undergrowth was still thriving. This part of the forest didn’t die away like most did during autumn, though all the flowers and seeds on the plants had long since dropped away. Nothing flourished, but it survived until it was frozen solid. All of the forest debris on the floor hid their footprints.

If only it hid their scents, as well.

A nervous, prickling sensation was starting to tingle at the back of his neck. He hurried Blue along as fast as he could get her to move, and when that proved to be too slow, he stopped to pick her up. She was so big that carrying her was difficult, even with her front paws hooked over his shoulders to keep her balanced. The v-shaped marks under her eyes began to glow white-blue like they always did when she used magic, and her weight was suddenly a little easier to bare, but it wasn’t something that could be sustained. Using her magic tired her, so he had to make the most of it.

He almost thought they’d lost the poachers. He couldn’t hear much over his wheezing breathes, and he thought they’d lost them. 

But he was wrong.

Out of nowhere, the poachers appeared. Alphas and unnaturally aggressive betas, they tracked him down and went right after him. Fear spiked in Lance’s chest the moment he heard them crash through the frosty undergrowth. They crowed with glee when they caught his scent, shouting _“Get him! Get him!”_ and _“Omega bitch!”_ and even worse things that he didn’t want to repeat. 

He ran as fast as he could. Branches whipped at his face and got tangled in Blue’s fur and he could feel her at the back of his mind, pleading him to leave her behind and run faster, but he wouldn’t. Something whip like snapped through the air and tangled around his ankle, tugging him to the ground. He cried out as he hit the dirt hard, Blue sprawling out beneath him. 

An alpha burst through the trees, his fist clenching the rope tangled around Lance’s ankle. He gave it a sharp yank, leering when Lance cried out again, helpless as he was dragged closer.

“We got a pretty one, boys!” The alpha laughed. His coat was dirty and his face was marked with age and his scent was so sour that Lance gagged. One of the alpha’s hands closed around his ankle, pulling him closer, and he kicked out but it did nothing except aggravate the alpha, who snarled. “Just be a pretty little bitch and hold still!”

Blue snarled, leaping at the poacher. She slashed at him, claws sinking through fabric. The alpha reared back, loud with anger. Lance pushed himself upright, ignoring the flare of pain in his ankle. He took off for the trees, eyes shamefully wet. Blue ran beside him but she was still limping, her legs unbalanced.

He didn’t get far. Another alpha grabbed him by the arm as he ran, pulling him back so hard he screamed with pain. A hand fisted his hair, forcing his head to the side, and a jolt of nausea shocked him. If the alpha bit him, it would bond them, and he’d be forced to do anything the alpha said. It wouldn’t be a consenting, two-way bond, it never would be, and that meant the alpha could do anything he wanted with Lance. Give him to anyone. Let anyone do anything to him without feeling the primal jealousy and protectiveness bonded alphas felt.

Lance threw his head back, smacking the alpha’s nose. There was a sickening crunch but the alpha’s grip on him only tightened. His putrid scent grew in intensity, fuelled by anger. Blue swung around to leap at him, knocking both Lance and the alpha to the ground. She clawed at the poacher, tearing up his hand until he was forced to let go of Lance or risk losing his fingers. Blue grabbed Lance by the scruff of his jacket and dragged him away, tucking him under her until she stood over him protectively. 

They were outnumbered. A poacher appeared behind them, and then another, and they attacked Blue with daggers drawn. Lance screamed as blood stained Blue’s fur. He lurched forwards, trying to pull them off her, but someone grabbed him by the waist and threw him back. His arms were pinned, and he shouted, struggling as much as he could. His shoulder burned with pain.

“Blue!” He screamed, as he was hauled further and further away from her. “Blue!”

Blue reared back, panic colouring their bond. She tried to leap forwards but the poachers dragged her down, and one thrust their dagger into her leg. She let out a deafening roar that echoed through the forest, shaking the trees so hard that snow fell from them.

And then Lance heard more feet. His heart raced with fright but suddenly the poacher taking him yelled and was torn away. Lance dropped to the ground and took off without looking back, running for Blue. There was a scream behind him, and he looked back–

A massive black lion stood over the wounded poacher. 

Fear gripped Lance tighter. 

Everything happened so fast. The poachers suddenly abandoned Blue, scattering in every direction, the black lion hot on their tails. Out of the forest another lion appeared, its fur deep red, but it paid no mind to him. Lance dropped beside Blue, his fingers scrabbling over the hilt of the handle. It was slick with her blood.

“Blue,” he whimpered. She whined, and he made himself steady. “Hold on, Blue.”

Gripping the knife, he gave her head a gentle pat before pulling it free. Blood seeped out of the wound, and he pressed his hand against it, trying to stop it. Blue slumped against him, panting. Her breath fogged.

“Hold on, girl,” he said. Miraculously, his backpack had stayed on. He pulled his spare jacket free and pressed it to her wound, ignoring the wetness on his cheeks. “How bad is it?”

Blue pressed her forehead against his, eyes closed. It was bad.

Lance glanced up when he realised the forest had gone quiet again. He couldn’t hear the poachers, but he could smell blood. He looked around, and flinched when the other lions emerged from the trees. 

The black one was big and broad, at least two heads taller than Blue and almost twice as wide. It had gentle eyes though, and kept its head low, its expression open. Its fur was so dark and sleek that it would probably blend in with the night sky perfectly. The red one was more agitated, its fur raised and dishevelled in places. It had a slimmer face and shoulders than Blue, but was less lean and more muscled, built for speed and power strikes. Its golden eyes were full of fire.

Lance put his arm around Blue, holding her close. She bared her teeth at the lions as if daring them to approach, but he held her back. She wouldn’t be able to fight them.

“Please don’t hurt her,” he pleaded. He didn’t care if they killed him. “Please.”

“They won’t,” a new voice said.

Behind the lions, two alphas appeared. The first – the one who spoke – approached the black lion and put a hand on its head. He was tall and broad, with a prosthetic arm and a thick scar running over the bride of his nose. Lance caught his scent on the air, something natural and woodsy, something that didn’t hurt his nose. 

The other alpha was shorter, maybe an inch less than Lance, but wider in the shoulders. He had a strange knife in his hand, but he put it in its holster at the small of his back as he stood beside the red lion. His hair was dark, falling between his eyes and almost to his shoulders. Both alphas were wearing tight coats and snow-proof boots, like they’d been expecting to travel in this weather.

Lance tightened his fingers in Blue’s fur. Her growling had stopped. Something about these alphas felt… different. They weren’t poachers, he knew that much. And if they wanted to hurt him, they could have by now. Instead they were looking at him like they were as surprised to see him as he was them, even if they were better at hiding it. With a start, he realised he wasn’t afraid of them.

They had saved him after all, hadn’t they? Them and their lions.

“Your lion, she’s hurt,” the taller one said. His eyes traced over Blue, but they weren’t threatening, just assessing. “You are as well.”

Lance shrunk into his shoulders, his scent thick with fear. He could tell the moment the alphas realised he was an omega. He expected them to force themselves on him, or to tell him what to do, like other alphas would. Instead the tenseness in their shoulders bled away, and they somehow made themselves seem smaller, less assuming.

“Can I come closer?” The tall one asked. He held up his open palms. “I can help.”

Lance wanted to say no, but Blue would suffer if he did. He nodded even though he was scared.

The alpha approached with his lion. Lance shrunk back, but the alpha kept an appropriate distance as he knelt beside Blue, letting her learn his scent before he reached for her. He pried at her wounds, fingers prodding, and then winced.

“She needs help,” he said. “It doesn’t seem like the knife hit anything important, but she’s bleeding a lot.”

“Is she going to be okay?” Lance asked, voice thick and watery.

The alpha gave him a gentle smile. “I can help her, if you’ll let me,” he said. “You’ll have to trust me.”

Lance hesitated. He glanced at Blue, and she met his eyes, trusting his decision. She didn’t seem intimidated by the other lions, and in the end, that made Lance’s decision for him. Blue’s instincts had never been wrong before.

“Okay,” he whispered.

The alpha nodded. He gestured for the other to come closer. “I’m Shiro, and this is Keith,” he said. “I want you to help me lift your lion onto Black’s back, okay? He can take her weight.”

Lance tried to help, but he gasped in pain as his shoulder burned. Shiro caught Blue’s weight as Lance stumbled, and heaved her up onto Black, who hardly flinched. The other alpha – Keith – leapt for Lance, wrapping an arm around Lance’s waist to keep him upright.

“You’re hurt,” Keith said. His eyes burned holes into Lance’s face. He was so close that Lance couldn’t help but flush.

“Just help Blue,” he begged.

Keith pulled Lance’s arm around his shoulders and kicked his legs out from under him, lifting Lance up into his arms like he weighed nothing. He shared a glance with Shiro, ignoring Lance’s spluttering, and then passed Lance over. “Let’s go before it snows,” Keith said. He put a hand on Blue’s back to steady her and then walked beside Black, his red lion on Black’s other side, bracketing Blue in.

“Don’t worry,” Shiro said, quiet and gentle, as he held Lance securely in his arms. “You’re safe with us.”

For some reason, Lance believed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This isn't the end for this series of one-shots! But I think one hundred chapters is enough for a story, so I'm going to start a new set (likely tomorrow, or the day after!). Thank you so much for all the support on this series! I really enjoy writing one-shots almost every day, it's one of my favourite things. Keep an eye out (I've made this a series so you can also bookmark it if you prefer) for the next instalment! All I'm really doing is starting a new "story" so that it's easier for me to keep track of what I've written haha. 
> 
> If you have any requests, feel free to send them to me (or to my [tumblr](http://milkteamiku.tumblr.com/) if you prefer!). I can't promise I'll do them all, but I can certainly try! 
> 
> Also, I have a question - if there were one or two of these fics you'd like to read more of, which would they be? I'm considering expanding some of these ideas, but I don't know where to start. Please leave me your favourites if you don't mind! I'm really interested to see which ideas are more favoured so that I know what to write more of ^^

**Author's Note:**

> My [tumblr](http://milkteamiku.tumblr.com/) and [twitter](https://twitter.com/fairydens) are open to suggestions ^^


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